


The Rise Of Skywalker (Rewrite)

by nikkylablakex



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Reylo - Freeform, tros
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22000135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikkylablakex/pseuds/nikkylablakex
Summary: A rewrite for TROS to fix majority of the plotholes. Ben survives :)
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Reader, Kylo Ren/Rey, Kylo Ren/You, Poe Dameron/Finn, Poe Dameron/Finn/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 26
Kudos: 149





	1. Leia's Funeral

Leia’s final words repeated like a mantra in her head, unable to shake the unwavering faith that was bestowed in them. 

_Rey, I know you’ll be the one to bring him home._

Although her voice didn’t give it away, the sea of emotions conveyed in her eyes did.. those weary eyes that had seen decades of destruction and constant anguish held regret and intense melancholy.

She had stood, arms outstretched with Anakin’s… now Luke’s saber fully intact… mended from the explosive argument between her and Kylo long ago. 

Rey remembered it vividly, the strength of the force pushing them both away. It was struggling to decide between who was more worthy. That should’ve been relieving, knowing that once it had only called to her meant that Kylo- no Ben had regained that balance of light and dark within him. They both fought for it in that instance.

From that moment forward, Rey had thrown herself into training… she was unguided through most of it. Utilizing the knowledge master skywalker had taught her, the lessons that proved what she hoped to be wrong about the Jedi and their ways. 

Leia showed great hesitance in training her but had finally agreed once she’d revealed details of what she saw through one of the more intimate force bonds. His future would be able to be salvaged and that’s exactly what she was good at, salvaging broken things. 

The corner of Rey’s lip twitched almost as if her conscience was fighting to smile at the memory. But alas through the misery she felt in that one moment, it was unable to shine through. 

She’d lost nearly everyone she had met along her journey and she couldn’t help but internalize the guilt. So, she poured her heart into her training, even more so that Leia had passed. 

The news had shellshocked almost everyone, especially Poe who now took the title of ‘General’. He was trying to keep it together the best he could, with Finn by his side. Every time they arrived back from a mission however, they knew that the so-called ‘training’ Rey was throwing herself into was just another reckless distraction... a coping mechanism but a self-destructive one.

She’d almost passed out from pushing herself too hard in the lush green forest that went on for miles and miles. Vines hung down everywhere making it a trip hazard, large trees that if struck by a saber could come crashing down and etcetera. Eventually, it was all just a death trap waiting to happen. 

Finn somehow sensed she was unwell and lead Poe to where she’d collapsed by the sheer force of his will it seemed or was it something more?

“You can’t keep doing this,” Finn spoke up, clasping his hand around her arm to help her stand. Allowing her to lean on him if she needed to. 

“I was fine,” She seethed, panting while visibly struggling to keep her eyes open as she tried to push him away, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. Her all white outfit was now covered in bark, clay and dirt.

“You’re not fine by the looks of things.” Poe overexaggerated, gesturing to her inability to stand. He seemed annoyed, but Rey had just come to accept that as a part of his personality. Or maybe it was just how he specifically acted around her?

The days went on in a blur until Lieutenant Connix announced the funeral ceremony. 

What was left of the resistance held a minute of silence, allowing each person to pay their respects in different ways. It was Rey’s turn and she wasn’t sure where to begin. 

She felt all of their blank stares and trailing eyes on her which made her feel uneasy to say the least. It was difficult being the only force user, it was as if everyone was afraid of her. Unsure whether she’d turn on them. Attempting to swallow the lump growing in her throat, she exhaled slowly to calm herself.

Exotic flowers decorated the sides of the delicate-looking coffin. The crimson amaryllis represented everything that Leia is- was…determined, prideful and radiantly beautiful.  
Hesitantly placing the palm of her hand on the ice-cold glass casket, her eyelids fluttered shut. Time seemed to freeze, becoming insanely focused once again and quiet. She refused to open her eyes, knowing what that feeling meant. 

“Rey,” The whisper sounded almost broken, chin trembling she reluctantly looked straight ahead breath catching in her throat at the sight of the rugged man. She would’ve almost called him a boy from the look in his soft brown eyes. His gaze flickered from her to the casket and taking a couple of steps forward, he fell to his knee with a thud, in a knight like stance trying to prevent himself from slumping any further into the ground.

He forced himself to straighten his back as his cape filtered out, if she hadn’t known any better, she’d guessed he’d only just taken off his new mask. She’d seen it momentarily during one of their recent bonding moments. His raven hair was slightly tousled, framing his face as a solemn expression painted his pretty features. 

Rey didn’t realise she’d been staring until he moved again, leaning forward over the coffin to press his cheek against it almost affectionally. She couldn’t dare to imagine what it was like to lose a mother, especially if you were close to them. Her memories of her parents were muddled- or maybe It was just denial refusing to let her accept the fact that they did truly sell her.

It was selfish of her to think of her own past while he was here mourning her, so she spoke the only thing that came to mind. 

“I’m sorry, Ben,” Her voice trembled, and she almost cursed at herself for not being as strong as Leia who could speak flawlessly while hiding those underlying emotions. But what was she sorry for? She couldn’t answer that verbally. 

She was sorry for the pain and betrayal she caused him to feel by denying him, but she couldn’t take Kylo’s hand, it must be Bens. Her Ben. Leia’s Ben. She was sorry for all the misfortune and stigma that came with the Skywalker legacy, and most of all she was sorry he was unable to spend all of his time growing up with his mother. She knew how that felt and it struck a nerve deeply inside of her.

Those same weary eyes she saw in Leia stared back at her and she truly understood what Maz had meant. The same eyes in different people.

His hand inched closer to hers, hesitantly placing it on top. The physical touch startled her, causing her to exhale sharply and pull away without thinking. She felt the connection break and then realised that the resistance members had witnessed her weird behaviour. All of the judgemental staring had suddenly become overwhelming.

“Rey, what’s going on?” Finn questioned; confusion visible on his face from the way his brows were furrowed. Her eyes were glassy, cheeks slightly reddened and flustered from the moment. She turned away, bolting through the makeshift room and out into the open. 

“Rey!” He called after her, preparing to follow but he was stopped by Poe’s hand placed firmly on his chest.

“She probably needs some time to cool down,” He stated dipping his head as if waiting for him to agree with the said statement. Finn cast his gaze to the floor nodding as he knew that arguing would get them nowhere. 

This didn’t stop Rose from following the distressed female, trying to keep up with Rey’s speed caused her to stumble on multiple occasions. Racing past the many ships and luscious trees she finally stopped. Rey launched herself upward almost unnaturally, using her core strength to swing herself up on one of the many sturdy branches.

“Okay that’s a bit unfair,” Rose curled over, panting while momentarily glancing up at the force user who now sat comfortably in the kapok tree before her. 

She ignored Roses presence at first, allowing the overwhelming amount of emotion she was feeling to take over her senses. She couldn’t prevent the warm liquid gathering in her eyes from spilling, it ran down her flushed cheeks and she sniffled burying her face into the palms of her hands. 

“Rey, I’m here to listen,” Rose exclaimed, cupping her hands to louden her voice so that she would hear her clearly. 

“Please come down.” She begged, huffing in a disappointed notion once she didn’t receive a reply. Placing her hands on her hips she continued to stare up at the tree hoping for a miracle.

Rey’s body slowly descended down the tree in a levitation like manner which still took Rose by surprise to this day, the power she possessed was astounding. Her feet planted down on the ground softly and her lips were parted, eyes puffy from the tears.

“I don’t even know where to start-,” She mumbled, honesty dripping from her voice as she stared at Rose, trying to read her. Rose guided her over to the roots of the tree, sitting down between them and patting a spot for her to sit as well. 

“Wherever you feel it’s necessary,” She prompted, pursing her lips into a smile as she watched her in awe. 

“I don’t… feel like I belong here,” Rey faltered, crouching down onto her knees to sit comfortably on her calves. She exhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders from the simple confession. The expression on Rose’s face was one of confusion, tilting her head she waited for her to elaborate. 

“These abilities I have, they scare people… no one trusts me,” She sighed, sure that the words she spoke were true. She trailed her hand up her arm, brushing her thumb over the beige armband that covered up the scar she received on the supremacy. 

“Finn does, as well as me and Poe,” She argued, brows furrowed as she reached forward for her hand trying to capture her gaze.

“Yeah,” She softly uttered, allowing Rose to take her hand in hers.  
“But you all don’t understand,”  
“Not like he does.” She whispered the last part, pulling away and turning her body away from Rose.

“Ben, right?” Rose questioned with ease, standing up on the spot and dusting off the bark on her combat pants.  
“Sorry, I overheard you and Leia talking and-,”  
Rey turned her head over her shoulder and replied with an “It’s fine.”

“I haven’t told anyone about this because I was afraid that-.” She also arose, turning to face her friend as the corners of her lips tugged downward pulling her features into a frown.  
“Everyone would turn against you?” Rose finished off her sentence, nodding understandably before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Rey pulling her into a warm yet comforting embrace.

“We have this connection; I can talk to him through it.” Rey continued on, pulling away from Rose to see if she was still listening to her rambling. 

Unbeknownst to them both, Finn had disregarded what Poe had said and sneaked out after her anyway. Eavesdropping on both of the girls, he stayed a decent way away just being able to make out what they were conversing about.  
His eyes widened and the first thing he felt was betrayal, he turned to leave. He must inform Poe of what he’d learnt. 

The anonymity of having a mask proved what he already knew, people were terrified of the unknown. The voice modulator sent chills through people’s spines and he knew this fully. The novelty wore off once he realised the scar trailing from the middle of his forehead and down his left cheek provoked more fear than the mask ever did.

Battle scars were something to be flaunted not hidden away. However, it hadn’t always been that way, his mentality towards them had changed from once seeing them as weak. 

Mustafar, the volcanic planet once filled with molten lava had now begun to replenish itself. The destruction of Bright Star had led to its ecosystem finally mending.

He was hellbent on finding the Sith Holocron and would stop at nothing to retrieve the artefact. The broadcast sent across the galaxy held small hints to its whereabouts and he knew deep down that it was a trap. But he had to face it, nonetheless.

Taking down the Vader cultists was an easy task, facing Vader’s castle, on the other hand, wasn’t. The triangular-shaped structure was intimidating to say the very least. He assumed that it would’ve been abandoned yet once he entered the sacred place all he could hear were whispers of a past life.

Kylo held his cross-guard saber closer to his body, hesitant with every step he took deeper into the shadowy dark fortress. 

Eventually, it lead to an opening, a widened beam lead from one side of the structure to the other with a circular platform in the middle. He exhaled sharply while edging across it, gazing down below at the pit beneath. It reminded him of the finalizer, where Han had stood once Infront of him begging for his son to return. 

_“I miss you son,”_ His voice echoed, materializing in front of him. Kylo hesitated, body freezing on the spot at the sight of his father who looked very much alive. Han stepped forward and reached out, placing his hand on his son’s cheek and his chin began to tremble.

_“Your son is dead-,”_ His voice cracked, unable to hide the emotions he felt any longer. He was meant to venomously spit the words out but instead, it sounded like a broken whimper.  
_“No, Kylo Ren is dead, my son is alive.”_ Han's eyes sparkled with what seemed like hope as he removed his hand, letting it drop beside him.

 _“I know what I have to do, but I don’t know If I have the strength to do it,”_ He repeated, his voice pained and vulnerable as he stared at Han.

 _“Ben-,”_ He began to speak.

 _“Dad, it’s too late she’s gone,”_ Kylo interrupted, struggling to repress the oncoming tears by biting down on his lip.

 _“I know.”  
_ _“But you still have someone left.”_ A smile was painted on Hans's face before the memory began to fade. He parted his lips at his father’s words and exhaled.

At one point during the conversation, he must’ve sheathed his saber. Focusing on his footsteps he continued forward towards the circular platform that held the sith Holocron.

Once he reached it, he cautiously analysed the runic symbols on the box before deciding to open it. Trailing his fingers along the edge of it with one of his hands, he jumped as a familiar voice bellowed.

“Kylo Ren,” The heavy breathing gave away who was speaking, and it caused Goosebumps to rise on the back of his neck.

“Grandfather?”

“It needs to be opened.” The voice boomed referring to what Kylo assumed was the Holocron itself and not the casing. Sliding the top off aggressively, his eyes widened at the sight of the crimson 3D triangle.

It began levitating, glowing as the parts became rearranged. He furrowed his brows unsure of how it was being activated. Reaching forward, he snatched the glowing object in the palm of his hand.


	2. The Falcon

“She’s WHAT?” Poe exclaimed rather loudly, causing Finn to shh him. He began pacing around in the secluded room, heading to the entrance to check whether anyone had heard his outburst. He exhaled, turning around to face Finn a look of exasperation painted on his features. 

“Look I know how this sounds, hell I don’t even understand,” Finn gestured with his hands aggressively, trying to make sense of why she would lie about something as important as this. 

“How can we trust her? She’s conversing with the enemy.” Poe argued as Finn tried to logically piece together an answer. He didn’t know how he could defend her against this. 

“What is going on in here?” Maz’s voice rung out, her small orange body strolling through the cloth that hung down as an entrance to the room. She stopped, glaring up at both of the men who were squabbling like chickens with their heads cut off. 

“Nothing,” Finn suspiciously stated, his voice becoming higher towards the end of the word. 

“Yeah, exactly. Nothing Maz it’s all good,” Poe quickly swooped in, patting Finn's shoulder in a friendly manner. She squinted, adjusting her glasses before shrugging it off. 

“I know we all miss the princess, but General things need to get done around here.” She stated, raising her non-existent brows. Poe nodded, giving Finn a knowing glance before exiting the makeshift room. 

The next few days were filled with planning and murmurs in the resistance about the new information on the first order. Finn and Poe had left on a mission without notifying Rey, allowing her time to screw her head on straight. 

“He can’t beat us every time,” Finn stated clearly in denial as he stared at the gameboard hard enough to burn holes in it. 

“Yet apparently he does,” Poe replied, leaning forward as Finn had done earlier. Trying to read the Wookies expression as if it would give his strategy away. 

“How does he do it?” He asked, placing a hand on his forehead in utter wonderment.

“This guy right here, it’s because he cheats,” Poe implied with complete seriousness, pointing a literal finger at him. Chewie let out a loud groan of protest, obviously upset with Poe’s accusing tone of voice.

“I’m kidding,” He played it off, side-eyeing Finn with an ‘I’m not’. Finn attempted to prevent the corners of his lips from turning into a smile at Poe’s look. 

“Okay come on take your turn,” Finn grumbled, becoming increasingly impatient with the Wookie. 

“The longer you take the more we’re gonna think you’re cheating,” He noted again. A noise that started out as a small beep grew into something much more sinister, startling the group in the midst of the game. Chewie roared again as if warning them not to touch the game they’d been playing as he tended to the issue. 

“We’re not gonna turn it off,” Poe defensively called out, watching the Wookie leave the room.

“He’s cheating,” Finn exhaled while standing up. 

“Definitely.” Poe agreed, pressing the button to turn off the hologram of the little creatures. He followed Finn out of the room and headed towards the cockpit of the falcon getting ready to receive the message that had been promised. 

“T minus five,” Poe warned, sitting next to chewie in one of the seats, clicking and flicking multiple buttons to prepare. Finn stood ready for the hatch to open up with R2 by his side. The noise of the airlock opening signalled that it had. Looking up he saw the face of a familiar creature.

“Good to see you, got something for us?” Finn inquired, craning his neck to stare up at the resistance’s friend. 

“From the new ally, a spy from the first order,” He replied swiftly, poking his head further forward. 

“A spy? Who,” Finn questioned, confusion visible on his face as he furrowed his eyebrows. 

“I don’t know.” The creature sighed before pulling out a long chord and throwing it carelessly into the falcon. 

“Transfer the message, get it to Leia, hurry!” 

Finn paused, not having the heart to tell him that she had passed and instead focused on inserting the message bank into R2. Small circular lights lit up green on the droid showing how far the data had synced. The distinctive droning noise of tie fighters caught Poe’s attention in an instant and he clenched his jaw out of stress. 

“Finn? We’re about to be cooked!” He declared, worry imminent on his face as he turned to Chewie who gave him a nod of approval to get going.

“We’re almost there,” Finn cried out, hoping they’d wait just a few seconds longer. Beeping signalled that the message had been transferred, pulling it out of R2’s unit he glanced back up at the creature.

“How do we thank you?” Finn asked, pursing his lips awaiting a reply.

“Win the war.” After the utterance of those words, the hatch closed shut. He then headed towards the quad guns getting prepared to take down the incoming TIEs. 

“Sorry, SORRY I know.” Poe profusely apologised, trying to keep his cool while focusing on the control panel. Piloting the falcon was definitely harder than anything else he’d flown that’s for sure. 

“Finn you’re supposed to be getting rid of those things!” He exclaimed; concern laced in his tone as Chewie grumbled. 

“Got one!” Finn called out excitedly as Poe heard the crash behind them. 

“How many are left?” He questioned, hoping the answer would be a minimal amount. 

“Too many,” Finn replied mostly to himself as he pressed the trigger yet again. Chewie let out a series of soft whimpers and Poe’s eyes lit up at the idea. 

“Good thinking chewie, Finn we can boulder these ties,” He glanced at the black pole like structure holding up the ice. 

“I was just thinking that.” Finn yelled back, awaiting the right moment to shoot. Poe pushed the lever forward causing the falcon to turn upside down. It gave Finn a clear view for the shot, pressing the trigger multiple times it fired shots at the pole causing it to unhinge. Finn let out a celebratory woohoo as most of the TIES were crushed beneath the object.

“Poe, get us back to base!” He ordered, his ego deflating as he realised even more TIEs were following them. 

“How thick do you think that ice wall is?” Poe questioned genuinely, clenching his teeth together in an awkward smile. Chewie shrugged which made Poe roll his eyes and mumble out a ‘great’.  
“Here we go!”  
The falcon burst through the wall with ease.

“Poe what are you doing?” Finn queried as he held onto one of the seats, jumping to lightspeed automatically as if it was a reflex. 

“lightspeed skipping!” He answered trying to navigate through the crimson spikes surrounding the ship. Chewie audibly groaned in an unhappy manner causing Poe to scowl.  
“Yeah well Rey’s not here right now, is she.” He sent a glare Chewie’s way before waiting to skip again. 

“Last jump, hold on!”

Her eyes fluttered shut, focusing solely on the energy she felt flowing around her. Her legs were crossed, arms outstretched, and palms placed on her knees comfortably. 

“I can feel you,” She whispered softly as her body began to float, feeling almost like a weightless feather. If she had to guess what that would feel like. 

“Can you feel me?” She hesitated, waiting for a response as she let the air carry her weight. Sweat beads began to break out on her forehead due to the intense focus. 

_“Rey…”_

Opening her eyes in a panic she abruptly fell to the ground unable to hold herself long enough in the air. That voice sounded familiar; she’d heard it before on Starkiller Base, but who did it belong to?

She sighed as she sat up, dusting the remains off her pristine white outfit. BB8 beeped almost sarcastically causing her to roll her eyes in feigned annoyance before she burst out into laughter.

“Yes, I know.” Her giggles faded out as the unit beeped again. She shot a genuine smile in the direction of the bulbous droid.

“I heard someone this time, we’re making progress.” She explained, hope laced in the tone of her voice as she stood up heading towards the droid that sat patiently. 

“Head back to base, tell me when the falcon is back… I’m going to run the training course,” She kneeled placing her hand on BB8 and rubbing comfortingly as if it were a cuddly creature of some sort. He beeped again in a questioning tone.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

As soon as the little droid scampered off the smile dropped from her face and she turned toward the course. A look of determination washed over her features as she unclipped the saber from her belt. 

She began running, short but fast strides until she reached one of the wooden posts. Reaching for the helmet she focused on her footwork as she stepped onto the thick rope that connected the sides of the ravine. Her senses heightened allowing her to reflect back each shot the training droid took at her, whirling around in the air as if it was trying to confuse her. Finally reaching the other side she began sprinting again using all of her strength to propel herself up the tree, slicing the red string that hung off one of the branches.

Making her way back with the string wrapped in her hand, she threw her body forward off the ravine. Jumping just enough to tumble roll onto the other side, causing a pant to leave her mouth as she bounced back up. 

As she continued running, she tripped over what she assumed was a root causing her to fall into the harsh bark and dirt yet again. The saber skidded across the ground away from her as she dusted herself off, reaching out for the saber. It magnetically pulled back to her landing in her hand. 

“Always waiting for a show, aren’t you?” She rhetorically questioned, furrowing her brows as she cautiously stared at the training droid. She knew he was watching her.  
Just to think a couple of days ago he was on his knees, mourning. His soul was still conflicted in the most terrifying way and all she wanted wat to be able to sway it back to her side. 

It shot at her and she reflected it back with the saber, a smirk growing on her features as she was able to continuously best it. Stepping back, she was caught off guard by one of the shots, stinging at her arm. A yelp left her lips and she let the anger fuel her movements. Swinging haphazardly at the droid she continued to miss it until she swung it angrily into the air, holding her hand out for it to come back.

A slicing noise made her mind feel at ease as she saw it fall to the ground, buzzing and zapping in front of her feet. She gasped as she felt something enter her mind and flash behind her eyelids it lit up her memory. 

_“These are your first steps.”_ The voice murmured softly. She’d fallen backwards onto the hard concrete, arms keeping her body upward as she dragged herself away from the chest and room she’d accidentally opened.

Her eyes were watery, chin trembling as she stared at Maz. A horrified expression was painted on her features as if asking for answers.

Rey’s body was then engulfed in a hug, by people she could barely recognize… their faces were blurry, but she could make out that one was a female and one was a male. 

_“Join me.. please.”_ Turning around she faced Kylo yet again, his leather-gloved hand reaching out to her. She heaved through the pain she felt in her chest but couldn’t tell if it was physical or emotional. Yellow-orange embers fell around them reminding her that this was only a memory. It wasn’t _real._

_“I’ll come back for you sweetheart; I promise.”_

The last voice she’d heard before as well, her laboured breathing came to a standstill once the visions had subsided. She decided against completing the course and after being shaken up, headed back to the base.

Rey couldn’t help but imagine how disappointed Leia would be in her right now. It seemed as though she was just making up excuses but, in all honesty, she was just exhausted mentally and physically. 

She couldn’t help but let her mind wander to one of the force bonds that she had shared with Ben earlier in the year. She was running errands on the falcon, helping Chewie with the daily checks when she’d felt his eery presence. Currently standing in the cockpit, she turned around parting her lips at the sight of him.

_“I can sense your unease,”_ He spoke with an edge to his voice causing her body to visibly tense up. He was unpredictable at the best of times but she was unsure who she was talking to at this moment in time. She cast her gaze downward, stringing together a phrase of words to say in response.

 _“You still have a reason,”_ She started, leaving the sentence unfinished as she knew he could read her like an open book. His eyes softened but his solemn expression stayed the same. 

_“You understand why I can’t come back, more than anyone.”_ He pursed his lips awaiting her response. 

_“That’s not true,”_ She argued, raising her voice slightly. He furrowed his brows, the words she spoke were filled to the brim with emotion. She turned back to face the front of the falcon, moving out of the way so he would be able to enter the cockpit.

_“I bet you would’ve loved to fly this old thing huh.”_

He let his gaze wander around the controls and seats before gazing down at her. She was already staring at him and this time he couldn’t read her. He heard a silent ‘May I?’ from her in his head to which he nodded lightly. 

She stepped forward, nearly chest to chest with him. He was still towering over her which annoyed her since she felt like everything was a competition. His breath noticeably hitched as she lifted her hand up to his face, brushing away a strand of raven hair. Placing her soft hand on his cheek she trailed her fingertip over the scar she gave him. Without noticing he’d taken off the beige band on her arm and began to rub small, but comforting circles on the scar tissue that resembled two hands touching. 

It was always a gamble, seeing whether she’d be met with the light or darker side of him. She cherished gentle moments between them and longed for when he’d finally agree to return. 

Rey sat in her little hideaway, flicking through the many pages of one of the sacred Jedi texts. Her eyes glazed over the notes on specialised ‘Holocrons’ that caught her attention. Extra notes had been added by presumably Luke and it was circled with a name written next to it being ‘Exegol’. Was there an unspoken link between these two things she pondered.

“Rey! The falcon is back,” Lieutenant Connix exclaimed, grabbing her attention as she placed the book down hastily.


	3. Palpatine's Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this chapter is a bit shorter! It will truly start getting interesting soon :)

“It’s on fire, everything’s on... fire,” Poe stated with an exasperated sigh, staring at the falcon with his hands placed firmly on his hips, leg jutted out slightly. Rey slowed down to a jog, taking in the visible wisps of smoke and flames on various parts of the ship. 

“There’s a spy?” She called out, catching his attention as he turned away from the Falcon. 

“Yeah, there might be a spy here as well,” He stated, his tone insinuating and in response Rey pursed her lips confusion visible on her features.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me this before, I could’ve gone with you,” She proclaimed trying to hide the annoyance dripping from her voice as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re training, we didn’t want to be a bother,” He fibbed as if that logic made perfect sense. She scowled in response to his comment. 

“Okay, how’d it really go?” She ignored his offhand comment, mimicking his movements as he clenched his jaw looking away from her. 

“Really good actually,” He lied through his teeth again, bringing his gaze to hers in a challenging way which caused her brow to raise quizzically. 

“Han’s ship,” She started, her eyes raking over the falcon and the resistance members scurrying to try and put the fires out. It seemed like complete and utter chaos. 

“What did you do to the falcon?” She reiterated since he lacked to reply. It was like talking to a brick wall, he’d either ignore her or give her one-word answers. It was infuriating beyond belief. 

“Tell me what happened,” Rey huffed as he began to stalk off in a mood, causing her to follow behind. 

“You tell me first,” He gestured with his hands at her angrily, turning to face her. She let her shoulders droop unsure of what he meant by the remark. 

“You know what you are?” She remarked, her lips upturning into a sarcastic smile waiting for him to bite back at her with his own words. 

“What?” He huffed out, waiting for her no doubt venomous reply. 

“Difficult, you’re a very difficult man,” She dragged out the ‘very’ to put emphasis on how fed up she was with his behaviour. 

“You-,” he pointed his finger at her before storming off towards BB8 who had rolled his way toward the trio. 

“Finn, you made it back in one piece,” She exclaimed, running towards him to engulf him in a warm embrace. He reciprocated with just as much emotion in the hug. 

“Barely,” He chuckled as she pulled away.

“So, bad mood?” The question caught him off guard and he tilted his head slightly.

“Me?” He asked, pointing at himself.

“Him,” she gestured with her thumb behind her back to Poe. 

“Always,” He responded, his voice getting higher towards the end of the word sassily.

“Do we have a spy?” She questioned him, eyes widening in curiosity as she removed her hands from his shoulders. 

Chewie roared back in response instead of Finn, throwing his arms up in the air as if he was explaining what had happened.

“You lightspeed skipped?” She shrieked out of disapproval, walking toward Poe who kneeled Infront of his droid. 

“Yeah, well it got us back here,” He argued back as Rey bit back a response. She shook her head unable to believe his stupidity, _stupid flyboy._

“You two…” Finn began to speak, rolling his eyes at the continuous bickering. 

“Poe, the compressor is down,” She informed him, concern painted her features for not only them but the falcon. She hid her anger well, keeping her expression blank. 

“Oh I know, I was there,” He seethed, placing his face into the palms of his hands to help control his boiling temper.

“Every time,” Finn whispered under his breath, sticking his thumbs through the belt loops of his pants waiting for them to stop fighting. 

“You can’t lightspeed skip the falcon!” She raised her voice, almost yelling at the pilot.

“Actually, turns out I can,” He stood up almost comically, a fake smirk on his lips as he pushed past her shoulder. 

“Alright guys, we just landed okay,” Finn interrupted, fed up with them both. 

“What happened?” She questioned yet again, just wanting to be told some straightforward answers. 

“News okay that’s what happened,” Poe remarked, stalking off as Finn followed close behind. Those two were inseparable at the best of times. 

“No spy?” 

“There’s a mole in the first order and they sent us a message,” Finn stated turning to face her. This rendered her speechless and caused a multitude of more questions to pop up in her mind. Chewie made his way over to the group, listening in before speaking up. 

“You nearly blew up both of the energy canisters,” Rey accusingly stated, translating what Chewie had just told her. The four of them stood in a circle exchanging glances. 

“At least I’m not the one sending information to the first order,” He exclaimed causing some of the resistance members to look their way. Finn gestured across his throat to cut it out. 

“What, Poe what are you talking about?” She questioned, reaching out to touch his arm in a friendly way but he pulled away as if she’d burnt him from her touch. 

“Yeah, I heard about your little ‘connection’ with Kylo Ren,” He explained waving his finger around before Finn placed his hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down. Her shoulders drooped, Rose surely wouldn’t have told them, _would_ she?

“I didn’t- I haven’t- Finn,” She glanced at her friend, brows furrowing hoping that he would defend her. After all, he knew her better than anyone else on the Resistance Base. He looked away; guilt plastered on his face. She focused on entering his mind, realising he’d eavesdropped during her conversation with Rose she quickly pulled away. 

“Rey get out of my head,” He muttered, unable to bring his eyes to hers. The tension became awkward as they all stood there in silence, even Chewie had begun to step away. 

“You don’t believe me,” She exhaled, glancing from Finn to Poe reading the expressions on their faces. 

“Okay, fine.” Her hands flew up into a surrender like motion before turning back around and jogging off. She tried to fight the lump growing in her throat whilst attempting to control her emotions before they got the best of her. She didn’t want to cry in front of them. 

“Rey.. wait,” Finn called out, sighing loudly as Poe glared at him from his peripheral vision. 

“No, I understand.” She responded rather passive-aggressively, refusing to look back at the boys. Rey headed back to where she’d stationed her books, the place where she could escape momentarily from all of the chaos again. Picking up the book she flicked open the page she left off at, deciphering the messages and notes master Luke had left. She understood what needed to be done. 

A Holocron fusion would give her the coordinates to Exogol. But how was she supposed to find and activate a sith Holocron if she wasn’t a sith herself? Hell, how was she even supposed to find a Jedi Holocron for that matter? 

All she knew is that Exogol was somehow important and a place that Luke needed to reach but failed. Silence fell and all she could hear was the beating of her own eardrums, wincing she placed the book down.

“Can we not do this now,” Her voice trembled as she felt his domineering presence behind her. He almost laughed; he remembered the last time she said that he was standing in front of her, shirtless. _Exposed_. 

“I’m assuming you’ve heard the news,” He questioned as she hurried to hide the book she was holding, stuffing it back in the crate. 

“Palpatine survived,”

Rey twisted her foot deeper into the ground, turning her body to face him. Her eyes widened, she’d heard the stories and the myths about the Emperor. Darth Sidious as others called him. 

Her shoulders slumped whilst taking in his appearance, he wore his mask, but she couldn’t help admiring the intricate detailing of the crimson crystalline intertwined with the material. It stitched it together in a way. She became aware of the fact that every time he exhaled the cracks would glow almost like it was a beating heart.

“I’ve felt this hidden darkness for a while now, I couldn’t tell if it was inside of me or just-,” She trailed off, gazing off into the distance unsure of how to process the new intel she’d received. 

“He wants me to kill you,” He stated, cutting her off before she could speak again. Her eyes trailed up his figure, he was wearing a plain black sweater underneath his typical tunic. She’d noticed his pants were more formfitting than usual she raised her brow at this detail, wondering why. If he did read her thoughts, he chose to ignore it not mentioning her blatant staring. 

“And how do you know that?” She asked sceptically, hoping for it not to be true. 

“Hologram message that was targeted at our ship sent from an unreadable source,” He mumbled out the mouthful of words, the modulator inside of the mask altering the tone of his voice in the process. 

“You could be lying,” She pointed out, knowing in the back of her mind that he wouldn’t. He’s never lied to her before, what motivation would he have to do it now?

“Why would I lie to you Rey?” His question confirmed her suspicions and she let out a breath that she didn’t realise she was holding in. 

“I shouldn’t be talking with you,” She muttered attempting to smoothly change the subject as she nervously toyed with her brown belt. 

“They don’t trust you,” He spoke up like he was reading her thoughts, she refused to bring her gaze to his not wanting to stare at the emotionless mask. She could only imagine the expression on his face.

“Not like I do.”

“Kylo,” She heard another voice, commanding and female? The connection was broken before she was given an explanation, leaving her to collect her thoughts. 

“In 16 hours, the attacks will start,” Rose puffed, giving Rey a quick rundown of the meeting she’d missed as the rest of the resistance members had dispersed to their stations. Book in hand, Rey gestured for Rose to sit as she had something to tell her in return. 

She remembered when Leia had given a speech on the ever-growing strength of the dark side. She had explained to the resistance about the many myths and legends of her bloodline including the Emperor. Everyone knew who or what he was and that’s what made the reality so terrifying. 

"I know how to get to Exogol, it's through obtaining these holocrons-," Rey described, opening the book and flicking it open to the correct page. Sketches of the objects were in the notes and she pointed to them as Rose leant in listening intently. 

“It explains it here, if a Holocron fusion is to happen it will allow whoever activated it to ask any question including where to find Exegol," She rationally stated, following her finger along the fine print text before glancing at Rose.

“Rey are you sure about this?” She asked, uncertainty laced in her voice as her lips strung into a small frown. 

“Yes, I’m positive… we just have to find them both in under sixteen hours and somehow activate them,” She visibly deflated and Rose reached out to grab her hand comfortingly.

“I believe in you,” She confidently said, eyes glimmering with what Rey could recognize as hope. A smile washed over her features as she closed the book, pulling Rose into a warm embrace. 

She had an idea for the Darkside force user, but that was to come later. An hour after her conversation with Rose, she’d decided to repair the falcon with Chewie, telling him the plan in the process. He reluctantly agreed.

"You got it up and running?" A voice she could recognize as Poe questioned; She removed her hands from the underside of the falcon turning to face him.

"You were right before," She admitted, brushing her palms together as he stood Infront of her. 

“So, you admit you’re a spy,” He uttered, pursing his lips at the fact that he’d been correct. It upset him to know that someone he used to be able to trust had betrayed them. 

“I’m not, but I should’ve told you and Finn about the bond I share with him, it was unfair to keep it from you both. I hope you can forgive me,” Her apology seemed genuine and the corner of her lips twitched upward as his gaze softened. 

“I pinkie promise I haven’t been sharing any critical information with him,” She held out her pinkie, a goofy smile on her face as he did the same locking them together. Shaking his head, he couldn’t believe how childish they were acting but it couldn’t help but bring him joy. 

"I'm going to start on Pasaana," Seriousness washed over her features as she pulled away, deciding to inform him last minute. 

"Yeah, I know we're coming with you," He pet her shoulder before moving past and yelling something incoherent to Chewie who was still checking on the Falcon. Finn walked towards the small group that was starting to gather.

"I need to go alone," Rey spoke assertively to Finn, placing a hand on his chest to stop him from walking past her. 

"Yeah, alone with friends," He responded as if it was a no brainer causing her to let out a strained exhale. Once he set his mind on something it was almost impossible to dissuade him, stubborn was another way of explaining it. 

"It's too dangerous," She almost pleaded, concern imminent on her features as she noticed that Chewie, C3PO, BB8 and Poe were listening in. 

"We go together," Finn replied with an unspoken ‘Or not at all’. 

"That's what friends are for," Poe piped up as BB8 agreed and Chewie growled in agreement. She smiled softly at the boys, _her boys_. Muttering a soft ‘alright’, she followed Chewie into the docking bay.

"Rose last chance," Finn called out as the spotted the tiny girl scampering around as if she was looking for something important. 

"Coming, hold on!”


	4. Lando Calrissian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long! I had to break this chapter into two to three parts because it's so big eek

A decapitated head of a creature was thrown onto the sleek reflective table, oozing with yellowish blood and a sickening smell. He was trying to prove a point again. 

"We have a spy in our ranks,” The words rolled off his tongue like venom, the modulator making them sound even more menacing as he stalked around the oval table. He paused, staring out of the reinforced window into the abyss that was space. 

The knights entered the room behind him, armour clunking together as they filtered out to the sides. Each of them had particular fighting stances due to the difference in weapons and they were prepared for any retaliation against their leader. Their silence was uncomfortable and quite disturbing. 

"Whoever this traitor is, won’t stop us," He stated matter-of-factly, hoping to inflict fear into whoever It was that sat before him.

"The emperor has promising plans,” Pryde acknowledged as Hux sent a filthy glare towards him.

General Pryde was getting under his skin even more so than Kylo. It was unnerving that his fathers’ friend had climbed up the ranks in the first order so easily. Hux didn’t trust him at all, but he wouldn’t have to worry about that for long.

"Are my knights making you feel uneasy, general Hux?" Kylo inquired whilst trying to prevent a smirk from under his mask. Turning around, he faced his subordinates who refused to look at him.

"No Supreme Leader, I just don't understand why they must follow you around like lost puppies constantly,” Hux almost sneered, gritting his teeth in the process out of defiance.

Trudgen who stood behind the general ran his gloved fingers across the large machete-like weapon he held, hearing the metallic sound caused Hux to freeze up. 

Kylo brought his hand up into a fist, preventing the eager the knight from attacking. He flicked his fingers up in a motion that sent Hux straight to the ceiling, struggling to breathe in the process. The rest of the crew shifted nervously.

"Enough, my knights and I are going hunting for the scavenger," He informed them, nodding at the knights to begin heading off. 

“Are you sure this is it?” Poe quizzically raised his brow at the loudening noise they were approaching. 

“These are the exact coordinates that master Luke left behind...” C3PO exclaimed, following behind the group in a rather slow fashion. He was a droid after all. They reached the top of the sand dune which was a great vantage point.

“And what is this?” Rose questioned with an awestruck expression as colours exploded in the sky from chalk bombs. The native music was very endearing. 

“The aki-aki festival of the ancestors, this celebration only occurs once every 42 years,” He informed the group with enthusiasm. Poe facepalmed, holding the bridge of his nose and cursing under his breath before turning back to face the droid. 

“Well that’s lucky,” Finn remarked, still staring at the ongoing celebration unravelling Infront of him. 

“Indeed, it is known for the colourful kites and most delectable treats,” He continued on and Finn, Poe and Chewie turned back as if asking him to shut up. They were supposed to be focused on the mission and solely the mission, no distractions. 

“It’s beautiful,” Rey murmured, she was always entranced by different cultures as she didn’t really belong to one herself. They all descended down the dunes in a careful manner, making their way through the crowds. The festive dancing and rhythmic music made her want to join in desperately. 

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” she admitted, her eyes lighting up with excitement as the group walked through the dancing creatures. 

“There’s always random first order patrols in crowds like these... so, keep your heads down, Chewie,” Poe remarked, leading them through safely. Chewie whimpered sadly, struggling to bend down to keep level with the others. 

“Let’s split up, see what the locals know,” Poe commanded, taking off while Rey was swept up in all the festivities. Childish laughter flooded her senses and she gazed at the kids who were watching a puppet show, lips slightly parting as she felt a pang in her chest that felt like longing. 

Something small tugged at her wrist which caused her to turn. One of the natives stood Infront of her speaking their language. 

“She is saying welcome,” Threepio notified Rey as she kneeled on the sandy ground to be level with her. She continued to speak in her native language placing the necklace over Rey’s head almost affectionately. 

“Her name is Nambigina,” The droid translated again, watching the heart-warming exchange before him. 

“That’s an excellent name, I'm Rey,” She responded, smiling sweetly at the child who began to giggle from what she assumed was happiness. An unnerving feeling caused her to stand, grabbing her staff she held it closer to her body as she began walking towards the pull. 

Her breathing slowed and her surroundings darkened, facing forward she let out a sharp exhale at the figure Infront of her. 

“What do you want?” She hadn’t meant to sound so hostile, but she was growing rather sick of the untimely force bonds. They always happened at the worst possible times.

“I have something that might interest you,” He answered bluntly, unphased by the tone of her voice. Her eyes automatically flickered down to his hand, opening it she gasped at the activated crimson triangle. It was the Sith Holocron she needed. 

“We can work together,” He insisted, his mask glowing with every sharp exhale. She shook her head, unable to bring her gaze to his. 

“Not when you’re Kylo Ren,” She stated finally giving in and staring at him, his grip tightened on the Holocron she could feel his anger. Waiting for an outburst, it never happened.

Her eyes darted to the Holocron and as if he had the same thought process, she reached out yanking it back into her hand as he snatched the beaded necklace around her neck. The connection instantly broke causing her to panic. 

Running back to the group, staff in hand, Holocron in the other she tried to explain what had just happened. 

“Guys, I-,” She came to a halt as Poe, Rose, Finn, Chewie and Threepio all turned toward her, watching the frantic range of emotions expressed on her features. 

“Where the hell did you find that?” Poe exclaimed, staring at the glowing triangular object in her dainty hand. She ignored his comment, gesturing for him to open the beige satchel he held to look after it. Dropping it in, he clipped it up. 

"We have to go back to the falcon now,” Rey informed them, her breathing was erratic, and she was stressed beyond belief. 

"What, why?" Rose interrupted, pushing in between Poe and Finn.

"It's Ren," Her response made them all visibly stiffen, and Chewie began leading the way back. 

“You’re telling me that you stole that out of his hand,” Finn questioned with a certain disbelief in his voice. She nodded in response, focusing on heading back to the falcon. 

"We had this analysed, It’s from Pasaana… forbidden valley," The female subordinate informed the supreme leader, clasping the beads tightly in her hand and tilting her head up to look at his mask. He nodded briskly at her, a silent thank you.

“Prepare my ship, General Pryde inform the ground troops,” He ordered, not prepared to wait around any longer. The general muttered a quick reply as Ren began stalking off to where the hangar was. Making sure the coast was clear, Pryde flattened his body against one of the walls whilst pulling out a walkie talkie like object.

“Lando, they’re sending the ground troops after the fugitives.” He spoke into it, holding his thumb over the red button to allow the transmission to send.

"Hold it right there,” a muffled voice demanded, causing the group to come to a halt as a trooper stood Infront of them, blaster in hand. Rey puffed, mentally rolling her eyes as she could probably take him down easily with her staff. 

"I’m looking at the resistance fugitives i-," the trooper continued on, likely alerting the first order which caused Chewie to let out an aggravated groan. 

A small arrow shot through the trooper’s armour at high impact, the group all turned in sync to look from behind where the shot had come from. 

“Follow me,” The figure donned in what looked like scavenged pieces of armour stated. They all glanced at each other nervously before hesitantly obeying his command. 

A large beige coloured vehicle that resembled a twinkie rolled out Infront of them and the man hopped up into the opening causing the rest of them to follow after. 

“I was sent a transmission,” the unnamed hero spoke up explaining to the fugitives how he’d been able to identify them. Rey let herself inhale deeply, feeling less tense as she now knew he was trustworthy. 

“How’d you find us?” Finn piped up, genuine curiosity pulling at his features as the man lifted his hands up to the helmet, taking it off in one swoop. 

“Wookie’s stand out in a crowd,” He chuckled, and everyone paled at the sight of Lando Calrissian. The expressions from the group went from bewilderment to shock to admiration. Chewie pushed past his friends to get to him, giving him the warmest hug possible. 

His moustache was beginning to grey and the many wrinkles on his face told many stories of hope, loss and loneliness. Rey could feel it and she tried to suppress a frown out of sympathy for the man.

“It’s good to see you too old buddy,” He replied as Chewie roared out of happiness pulling away from his long-lost friend. 

“This is general Lando Calrissian,” Threepio stated informatively and almost everyone shot him a glare yet again for the dumb statement. 

“We know who he is threepio,” Rey glanced back at the droid, shaking her head in disbelief at his naivety. Leia had filled the whole resistance in on the adventures and stories, she would know. 

“it’s an honour,” Finn interjected, trying to prevent a silly grin from showing on his face. These people were war heroes and it still astounded him that he was now apart of their journey. 

“General, we’re looking for Exegol,” Poe addressed, moving slightly forward in the currently operating vehicle. He held onto a handle to stabilize himself as it was a struggle to stand. 

“Of course you are,” He exhaled almost disappointingly, casting his eyes downward at the contraption around his wrist, tapping it and moving the buttons a blue hologram appeared of the Jedi Holocron. 

“Luke came here to find it,” Rey furrowed her brows, determination painted on her features as he made eye contact with the general. 

“I know I was with him; Luke and I were after an old jedi hunter trying to retrieve the stolen relic.” He informed them; the group waited for him to elaborate further but was cut off as Rey spoke up. 

“So, it was stolen from the academy?” She questioned; underlying concern hidden in the tone of her voice. Rose shared a glance with Poe and Finn, clearly interested in the story. Lando nodded briefly confirming her beliefs. 

“Ochi Bestoon was carrying a clue that could lead to the Jedi Holocron,” The hologram flickered to a headshot of the smuggler, bug-eyed and evil looking. He could definitely pass as a sith assassin. 

“We followed his ship halfway across the galaxy here, once we got there it was abandoned, no clue, no Holocron.” Lando visibly deflated, causing the groups lingering concern to heighten. They were used to bad news; this shouldn’t be any different. 

“Is Ochi’s ship still here?” She inquired, her grip on her staff tightening as she awaited a response. The rest of the group was dead silent, unsure of how to approach the situation. 

“In the desert where he left it,” He gestured with his hands as if they knew where. 

“We need to get to that ship, preferably now,” Rey threw her head over her shoulder glancing at the others who seemed more than prepared to get on with it. The distinctive noise of TIES alerted the group to yet another danger, staring out of the window Rey cursed under her breath. It was only a matter of time, quite literally. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Lando muttered while pulling away from the window and facing the rag-tag team of resistance fighters that stood before him. 

“The ship is out past lurch canyon, go,” He remarked, dipping his head slightly out of respect for the group which caused the majority of them to smile in a thanking matter. 

“Thank you general,” Poe replied, swiftly hopping out of the vehicle with Finn and Rose trailing behind him. Chewie hesitated, groaning a goodbye before exiting. 

“You too chewie!” 

“We need pilots, general,” Rey attempted to persuade him, a look of desperation shining in her hazel eyes. 

“My flying days are long gone, but do me a favour.. give my love to Leia,” He requested politely, shooting down her attempt in the process. She nodded understandably. 

“Leia is no longer with us, but thank you again,” She reiterated before exiting the vehicle, staff in hand. She didn't want to see his reaction to the news she'd just broke, it would be heartbreaking to say the very least. The group navigated their way out of the festival, running as if their lives depended on it.


	5. The Serpent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is super rushed! I apologise!

“Those speeders,” Poe pointed toward the forms of transportation around the corner of the sandstone. The noise of the festival couldn’t snuff out the whizzing of the TIE fighters causing goosebumps to rise on the back of Rey’s neck. She’d been in a situation like this too many times. 

“I hate desert planets,” Finn mumbled, panting almost aggressively as they all began to slow down, coming to a halt. Poe took the lead, sliding under the speeder and onto the sand. Reaching up he began fiddling with the compartmentalised chambers. Rose lurched forward, prepared to help but realised that he had it all sorted out. 

“We better go,” Rey stressed as she focused on the oncoming natives wailing about the speeders they were currently stealing. They piled on to both of the speeders with Rose lagging behind as she was out of breath. 

“Rose!” Rey exclaimed, holding out her hand to her friend to grab. Doing so, she used her body weight to haul her onto the speeder that’s engine began to roar, picking up speed. 

The green blasts that shot through the air startled the group, causing Rey to throw her head over her shoulder squinting in an effort to see who was shooting at them. _More troopers, great._

Unclipping Hans blaster from her belt in a hurry she turned back, shooting aimlessly at the following enemies. Scrunching her nose up and baring her teeth in an effort to calm her anger she kept relentlessly shooting. The vehicles the troopers were operating flew upward for a split second, sending them flying through the air with jetpacks attached allowing them to stay afloat.

“Are you kidding?” Rey rhetorically asked, annoyance shown visibly on her features as Rose’s mouth opened in surprise. She’d forgotten that her friend had never been out in the field before. 

“They fly now?” Threepio exclaimed, panicking slightly as he turned to face the other members on board. 

“Of course they do,” Poe shot back, keeping his eyes trained on the landscape Infront of him. He verged the speeder off between the canyon mountains as Rey struggled to turn theirs. She ducked for a split second as the rockets launched landed in the sand exploding on contact which threw it into their vision. 

“Did we lose them?” Finn exclaimed, moving around the speeder to try and see if they had. His shoulders relaxed once he couldn’t see them in his line of sight. 

“Looks like it,” Poe smugly replied, lips quirked up into a triumphant smirk as he kept his gaze set ahead. 

“Excellent job sir,” Threepio remarked a split second before a noise rumbled behind them, proving the previous statements to be wrong. 

“Terrible job sir,” Poe rolled his eyes at the comment, trying to focus on their getaway instead. 

The troopers were beginning to gain on the speeder and BB8 beeped frantically to whoever was listening. Chewie held his bowcaster up in defence, awaiting the perfect shot. 

“Go ahead,” Rose reassured in response to the droid. Picking at the chalk bomb like canister, the droid sent it flying into the air causing an explosion of yellow dust, momentarily stunning the troopers. 

“Good job!” Rey called out, keeping one of her hands on the shift stick she turned to awkwardly high-five Rose, blaster in hand. 

“Never underestimate a droid,” Rose yelled to Rey which caused her to nod, a widespread smile on her lips. Turning the speeder jarringly to the side, she sent blasts into the air and the vehicle and trooper were decimated in seconds.

A green blast caused Finn to fall to the ground, trying to dodge it. A lightbulb went off in his head as his eyes found the rope stored in the back of the speeder. Thinking quickly, he grabbed it throwing it as far as he could into the vehicle behind them. 

“Poe,” He warned him, and he turned the speeder side on causing the trooper to slam into the rock in an explosive smash. They all let out celebratory cheers before turning the speeder towards the exit.

“Ochi’s ship!” Rey exclaimed as the wind ruffled her hair. The ship sat out in the open causing her to become rather sceptical, what if it was a trap? She could hear the sound of another speeder, informing her that Poe, Finn and Threepio had re-joined them. 

“I’ve seen that ship before,” She mumbled, sudden realisation hitting her. Her gaze hardened, causing her brows to furrow in confusion. Where had she seen it though?

“Rey!” The voice of Poe rang out, notifying her too late of the troopers. An explosion sent her speeder upward causing them to fall face forward into the coarse sand. Another set of explosions caused Poe’s speeder to be lifted up, throwing them into the same position. 

“What the hell is this,” Poe questioned in a panicky tone, he wriggled his limbs around trying to gain some sort of traction so he could stand. It was useless and it seemed as though the grey sand was swallowing them up. 

“Sinking fields, try and grab a hold of something!” Rey shouted, realising that the parts of the speeder were already sinking along with them. It had already swallowed up to her midsection and she was struggling to keep afloat. 

“Poe!” Finn thrashed around, trying to get closer to the pilot as his head was the only part of his body still above the sand. Poe attempted to reach out and grab his hand, but it was too late.

“Rose!” Rey wailed, seeing her friend disappear underneath the grey grains, causing it to smoothen out. Chewie grumbled loudly, calling out her name before she was also engulfed by it.  
  
“Rey, Rose, Finn?” Poe recited their names in a quizzical way, letting his eyes adjust to the lighting in the tunnel-like burrows he’d fallen into. 

“You didn’t say my name sir, but I’m alright,” Threepio insisted reassuringly, beginning to walk towards him. The sound of trickling sand caught Poe’s attention and he stepped forward, looking upward at the falling grains of sand.

“Ugh,” Rey let out a groan as she came crashing down from the ceiling, Poe’s arms lessening the impact of the fall as he caught her. 

“You alright?” He inquired as she brought her disorientated gaze to his, nodding slightly and brushing off her pristine white outfit intending to keep it that way. 

“Yeah, where’s Finn and Rose?” She pursed her lips, forehead creasing in worry. 

“Where’s Chewie?” He responded with another question causing a distressed sigh to slip out of her mouth, standing up he held his hand out to which she accepted. 

“We’re good,” Finn’s voice echoed through the tunnels, helping Rose up in the process before making their way towards Rey and Poe’s voices. Chewie grumbled in annoyance, trudging through the tunnels to find the group. 

“What is this place?” Rose spoke up, observing the twists and turns in the tunnels. Rey ignited her saber, shedding azure blue light down the cave-like tunnel in front of them in response. Poe turned on his miserable flashlight in comparison, causing Finn to repress an amused smile as he flipped it in the air to show off. 

“We have to hurry,” Rey explained, taking off in the other direction prompting the group to follow her. They eventually came to an opening; it was less claustrophobic but there were tunnels everywhere. Many forks in the metaphorical road. 

“I do not wanna know what made these tunnels,” Poe hesitantly stepped forward, sand crunching under his boots as he noticed the many footprints left by critters and other creatures. 

“Judging by the circumference of these tunnels-” Threepio spoke up, using information from his data banks to answer Poe’s rhetorical statement. 

“I said I did NOT wanna know,” He turned around facing the droid, flashlight shining in Threepio's yellow eyes as a stern expression made its way onto Poe’s features. 

“What’s that?” Finn spoke up as they continued walking into yet another narrow tunnel leading to an old vehicle that resembled a speeder. Poe flashed the light onto it causing the metallic but dusty charm to shine.

“The logo..” Rey trailed off, trying to rack her brain for where she’d seen it before. 

“It’s the same as the Jedi Academy in one of Luke’s books,” She explained, entranced by the logo she swiped her thumb against it cleaning it off. It looked like the symbol had been wielded on and she assumed it was one of the students who did it. 

“I thought all of the students were murdered?” Rose furrowed her brows in confusion, leaning on one of the sturdy sandstone walls as she watched what was unfolding in front of her. 

“Well one of them must’ve been after it,” Rey pieced together, referring to the Jedi Holocron. Closing her eyes, she placed the palm of her hand on the speeder allowing the energy to flow through her. A re-enactment of what had occurred played behind her eyelids.

A young padawan, a female with striking blue eyes and chestnut coloured hair stood in those very tunnels. She’d just been able to untangle herself from the speeder. Her saber was ignited a lovely amethyst colour.

 _“Ochi, I know you’re down here… show yourself,”_ She seethed, carefully stepping over the unsteady flooring. Her eyes flickered to each of the tunnels, turning around in circles to try and predict where he would come from. 

_“It was a mistake to follow me little girl,”_ He moved out of the shadows, blaster and what looked like a dagger in his hand. His orange skin glistened with what looked like sweat and her lip quirked at this. 

She tensed, twirling her saber almost cockily in her hand before raising it up in a ‘come’ motion. He relentlessly began pulling the trigger of his blaster, the shots missing her every time as she blocked them. 

He then lunged at her, catching her off guard which caused her to tumble to the ground. He pinned her down whilst her saber had rolled away from her, out of reach.

 _“I told you that you’d regret it, Jaina.”_ He bared his disgusting rotting teeth, holding the dagger to her throat. A hissing noise broke her concentration and she jumped back, her eyelids fluttering open.

“It’s the dagger, that’s the clue,” She mumbled, realising that the group had split up leaving her to fend for herself. She rolled her eyes, typical. They were too adventurous, but she couldn’t blame them, she was exactly the same. 

“Rey, we uh found bones,” Poe proclaimed almost nervously as Finn's lips turned down into a frown at what was left of the skeleton. 

“lots of bones,” He continued, audibly gulping at the skull and ribcage that lay on the floor waiting for Rey to join them. She headed towards their voices, holding her saber incredibly close. 

“Ochi’s?” Finn questioned logically as Rey squished in between the two men, analysing the bones left behind. 

“Maybe,” She answered swiftly, becoming distracted as BB8 buzzed at her frantically. 

“Yeah, I see it,” Kneeling onto the sandy floor, she blew at the sand revealing a shiny metallic object with a handle that resembled a dagger.

“There’s writing on it,” Rose piped up, waiting for someone to read out the foreign language. Rey held it up so Poe could shine light onto it. 

“I may be able to translate,” Threepio offered and Rey handed it over to him quickly, curious about the clue. 

“What does it say?” Poe inquired impatiently, waiting for the droid to finally contribute in a meaningful way on the mission. 

“I’m afraid I cannot tell you,” The droid responded in monotone causing everyone to let out a groan. Less than 16 hours and multiple planets would be subject to destruction, no pressure. 

“A bazillion languages and you can’t read that?” Poe chastised, shaking his head in disbelief at the uselessness of Threepio. Finn turned to Rose and they both sighed in unison.

“I know exactly where the Holocron is,” He claimed optimistically which caused relief to flood through the group. Chewie threw his hands up in the air counting this as a win. 

“Unfortunately, it’s written in the runic language of the ancient sith,” Rey threw her head over her shoulder seeing Chewie awkwardly bring his hands back down, huffing in the process. 

“So, what?” Rose questioned the droid, confusion shown on her face at his inability to process the language. 

“My programming forbids me from reading it!” He argued, almost offended by how the group was reacting.

“You’re telling us the one time we need you to be useful, you can’t?” Poe placed his hands on his hips, tapping his foot against the sand in annoyance trying to calm his temper. Threepio nodded and then began speaking again, no one was paying attention as a hissing noise caught their attention. The reactions on their faces explained it all, widened eyes, mouths open and shock plastered on their features. The droid mustn’t have heard the noise as he kept rambling. 

“What are you all looking at?” Threepio questioned, turning around and immediately panicking. 

“Serpent!” The droid exclaimed, moving forward to hide behind the shelter of the group. 

Poe held up his blaster and Rey held her fist up signalling for everyone to stop moving. She placed her hand on his blaster, pointing it down to the ground with a reassuring smile. Not breaking eye contact with the serpent, she handed the hilt of her saber to Finn. After forcing them to put down their weapons, she advanced forward confidently. 

Rey held her hands up in a surrendering motion, to try and communicate that she wasn’t there to hurt the creature. The serpent hissed as her foot almost slipped, causing her to sharply exhale. Stepping over the large serpent she knelt onto the ground. Placing one of her hands on its bloody belly, she held one up to its face to calm it. Shutting her eyes closed, she furrowed her brows focusing her energy on him, feeling it flow through her with ease. In a matter of seconds, the wound had healed itself and she smiled up at the creature. 

Rocks came caving down as the large serpent began to move from its spot, revealing an opening as light shone into the cave onto the group. They all headed for the opening as Rey rubbed the palm of her hand. BB8 rolled over to her side beeping quizzically. 

“I just transferred a bit of life, force energy from me to him,” She responded, gazing affectionately at the curious droid. He let out a few more delighted beeps before she continued on.

“You would’ve done the same.”


	6. Ochi's Ship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave comments and feedback! It lets me know people are enjoying my story :')

The Knights stood in a circular arrangement, gazing out toward the open landscape filled with plain sand. They used the many vantage points of the mountains to their advantage, standing high alert and ready for Ren’s commands. 

“Trudgen,” Vicrul spoke up, stalking slowly across the mountain top cautiously to the second in command. He’d been the leader before Snoke had appointed his apprentice Kylo Ren as their master. 

“What is it Vicrul?” He snapped, turning his head just enough to see his comrade through his peripheral vision.

“I have some doubts about master Ren,” He uttered, his voice synthesising through his metallic mask. The many lines and indents represented the importance of their rank. 

Trudgen hauled his machete-like weapon over his shoulder, turning his body toward his fellow knight. He let out an audible sound resembling a mixture of a groan and a sigh. 

“It seems as though he has compassion for the scavenger,” Vicrul stated, placing his curved weapon in front of him like some sort of walking stick. He leant forward, trying to read Trudgens movements. 

“What are you suggesting?” Trudgen raised his brow behind the helmet he wore, interest laced in his tone as he stared back.

“I think you know what I am suggesting,” Vicrul insinuated, the corner of his lip upturning into a wicked grin. Trudgen paused, overthinking the situation, killing the scavenger would resolve most of their problems after all. 

The group eventually reached Ochi’s ship, stumbling up the rock formations and sandstone to get to the entry and loading dock. 

“We gotta keep moving, find someone who can translate that dagger,” Poe addressed, further up than anyone else as the motivation he had kept fuelling him. He glanced back at his friends, pausing once he realised he couldn’t climb up the rock without assistance. 

“I suggest we return to the millennium falcon at once,” Threepio exclaimed, thinking as rationally as he could for a droid. He moved his arms in articulated movements as Finn, Rose and Chewie passed him. 

“No, they’ll be waiting for us at the falcon,” Finn claimed, squinting at the droid and shaking his head. Brushing his sweaty palms against his navy-blue pants, he reached where Poe stood.

“And use you as a target droid,” Poe finished his sentence, smiling wholeheartedly at his friend. Finn stood in front of Poe, bending over slightly and cupping his palms as he used him as leverage, gripping Finn’s shoulder to balance. Launching Poe upward, he pulled himself up the rock reaching the top easily. He murmured a thank you to Finn before standing up, searching for a button to open the loading door. 

“They make excellent points- at times,” Threepio pointed out to Rose, gazing at her face and waiting for a response from the short girl. Her raven hair was styled in two panda buns, extra pieces flicking up in a cute fashion. 

“You think?” She responded, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at the droid, unimpressed. 

Rey paused, turning around and furrowing her brows in confusion. She could feel _something_ … something _unsettling_. Her curiosity got the better of her and staff in hand she began stepping towards the outer plains of the sand. Finn noticed this and quickly rushed over to her side, he’d been used to her spacing out and getting carried away in her own mind.

“What is it?” He questioned, biting the inside of his cheek. She turned her head over her shoulder to glance at her friend, her lips drawn into a line and her forehead creasing.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Rey exhaled, almost in a whispering manner. She pushed her staff forcefully into his hands and gripped the saber that hung from her belt as a protective gesture. The group watched her depart in complete silence.

“Alright come on, I’ve got it open,” Poe exclaimed, gesturing with his thumb behind his back to the ship. The rest of them eventually made it up the rocks and into the abandoned ship. 

He ran up the ramp enthusiastically with the group hot on his heels, diligently reaching for the light switches inside the entrance. 

“let’s see what we got,” Poe voiced with a certain urgency, ripping down the many dusty cobwebs that stood in the way of him and the cockpit. Pressing another button, the doors decorated with yellow and black caution paint opened up allowing them to enter.

“We need to get those convertors fired up,” He informed Finn who immediately reached for the slatted windows, opening them so light could flood through. Chewie rummaged through the materials on the ship, trying to find anything of value that could possibly help them. Fiddling with the controls on the panel, the ship began rumbling causing Poe to silently celebrate. 

“This thing looks like it hasn’t been flown in centuries,” Rose muttered, and Chewie roared in agreement alongside BB8. 

“Where is she?” Finn rhetorically asked, heading toward the windows and spotting her figure clad in white walking further out into the sand. Even at the best of times, he didn’t understand her. 

“Finn help me out over here,” Poe ordered, rolling his eyes at his overprotective attitude towards Rey. She could handle herself; he’d seen it firsthand. 

“Chewie tell Rey we gotta go,” Finn called out, stepping into the door frame making sure Chewie had heard him before turning back to help Poe. 

The Wookie descended down the ramp, carefully stepping down the rocks and making his way around to where Rey had begun to walk off. 

Kuruk stood like a statue, as frozen as stone whilst Ushar unsheathed her weapon, turning to her fellow knight and nodding in sync. They’d gotten their orders from Trudgen and Vicrul and were prepared for the distraction. 

Rey continued to travel forward, feeling the soft morning breeze hit her face. Her skin was sticky with sweat and burning under the harsh suns gaze. Her mouth was open in a relaxed way, trying to suss out what it was that she’d sensed. Her breathing rapidly increased once she realised who it was. The sound of a ship… _his_ ship. 

The rattle of engines caused her to lose concentration and throwing her head over her shoulder she realised they should’ve been leaving by now. 

“What is she doing?” Poe questioned dumbfoundedly, trying to understand her intentions behind what she was doing and the precious time she was wasting. 

“And where the hell is chewie?” Rose raised her voice, echoing through the ship and into the cockpit with no response.

“It’s Ren,” Finn remarked, hatred laced in his tone as she shot up out of the seat he was previously in. Placing his hand affectionately on Poe’s shoulder he exited the cockpit and headed down towards the ramp. 

Cautiously skidding down the rock formations, Finn saw the outlines of multiple figures he could make out as stormtroopers and knights. He hid behind the sandstone, seeing Chewie shackled up like a wild animal. The troopers rummaged through his bag holding up the dagger. Finn's breath hitched as he realised how many knights were standing there. Oh how he’d heard many tales of their missions aboard the finalizer.

Rey inhaled sharply, shoulders heaving as she tried to calm herself. The nerves she was previously feeling vanished as she unclipped the saber from her belt. The hilt of it fitting perfectly in her palm. She pointed it toward the sand waiting for the right moment, squinting she unsheathed it as the modified TIE approached her. 

Her brows knitted; expression blank as she turned away from it, determination spread across her features as she stood in a sprinting stance. Turning her head over her shoulder smoothly, she knew that he was speeding up on purpose. This was to challenge her... he _always_ loved a challenge. 

Facing forward she began running, one foot in front of the other gaining speed and hopefully enough momentum for what she was planning. She could feel how close his TIE was gaining on her, too close for her liking. Launching herself off of one foot, her body spun backward holding the saber straight it collided with his ship, slicing through his left-wing satisfyingly. She landed, palm on the sand, saber in the other as she looked up. Concern imminent on her features as she watched his ship spin out of control.

It has lost the right-wing and was just a ball rolling at insane speeds if it came into collision with anything it would explode, and she knew that. She stood up, her eyelids fluttering shut as she held her hand out to slow it down rapidly. It eventually came to a halt.

“Rey! They got chewie,” Finn screeched, pointing to the elongated ship currently lifting up into the sky. Her gaze moved from Finn to the ship and she held her hand up yet again, attempting to pull it back down to the ground again. She bared her teeth feeling the energy flow through her body and into her fingertips. Gritting her teeth and clenching her jaw, she brought her eyes back down to a figure cloaked in black walking safely out of the TIE wreckage. Her gaze softened once she realized he’d taken off his mask for her. 

A part of her just wished she could run into his arms, tell him that they didn’t have to fight anymore and that he could come home. But this was war and they were on opposing sides, it was never going to end well. 

He held up his gloved hand and she could feel his gaze burning through her just like on the supremacy. The ship rocked violently in the air as she scrunched her nose with focus, twisting her palm in the process. Finn watched on in horror as Rey let a scream pass through her lips, it was taking so much out of her. Kylo exhaled, forehead creasing as he opened his hand further. She brought her hand down slamming it beside her which caused the ship to come crashing down, colliding with the ground in a fiery explosion. It sent Rey and Kylo flying backward into the sand.

“Chewie!” She screamed out; her body sprawled out on the sand. Standing up slowly, the saddened expression painted on her features turned into one of surprise. She glanced down at her knee, a crimson substance had begun to dribble down her leg and stain her white pants. The pounding of her palm notified her that she’d taken the skin off. 

“Rey we gotta go, they’re coming!” Finn screamed out; eyes widened from panic. Holding her injured palm close to her chest, she began to jog heading toward Finn and Ochi’s ship. 

Kylo eyes glimmered with wonderment at her display of power, his suspicions were right and he now _fully_ understood who she was.

Her mind wandered, why didn’t he notify the rest of the first order. He could’ve decimated the whole planet along with her on it, but he didn’t. The ship was currently floating through space, unsure of where to head next. Poe, Rose and Threepio were currently in the cockpit trying to formulate a plan. 

“I lost control, that’s never happened before,” Rey struggled to exhale as she felt an oncoming panic attack surface, staring at the palm of her injured hand in the process. A light in the ship reflected onto her skin, causing it to turn a shade of blue representative of how she was feeling in the moment. Her eyes were glassy, cheeks flushed as she tried to control her bubbling over emotions. 

“It wasn’t your fault,” Finn consoled, unsure of whether he should reach out and touch her in fear she’d overreact. He was unable to muster up a comforting smile as her distress caused him to worry. 

“It was,” She whispered, bringing her gaze up to her friend. Biting her lip, she turned away out of shame. 

“No, it was Ren... he made you,” Finn replied accusingly, placing his hand on her shoulder. She clenched her jaw, turning around and slapping his hand off her. She’d had enough of everyone blaming Ben. He’d done nothing to cause her outburst. 

“He didn’t make me do anything; Chewie is fine!” She exploded with anger, shoulders drooping once she informed him that the Wookie was safe, for now. 

“I could still feel his presence after the ship exploded,” She elaborated further and saw his expression change from concern to relief as it flooded through his body. 

“You’ll never understand,” She dismissed, remembering the heartfelt conversation she had with Rose where he’d eavesdropped. 

“Well then tell me, explain it to me what you feel,” He almost begged, voice cracking and brows knitting together. 

“I-,” She began, chin trembling and lip quivering as she tried to repress her emotions. She didn’t want him to see her cry.

“H-had a vision,” She choked out, visibly shaken from what she was about to tell him. He audibly gulped; this usually was never a good sign. 

“Of the throne of the sith,” She blinked trying to get rid of the tears, “And who was on it.”

“Ren,” He responded, gaze hardening as she shook her head, lips turned down into a frown.

“Not just him,” She paused momentarily “I was sitting there too.”

Rey could recall it vividly, she was _head_ to _toe_ in black, her cheekbones _hollow_ , complexion _pale and_ lifeless. She sat, thighs folded and resting on each side of the main seat. She was almost straddling Kylo, his hands wrapping around her tiny midsection to pull her closer. Her breath hitched as she felt his breath fan over her neck pressing a kiss to the juncture of where her shoulder met her neck. Pulling away, she audibly gasped as his eyes that were once a deep chocolate brown were a _vibrant_ yellow.


	7. Kijimi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and kudos if you've enjoyed :)

“We recovered the scavenger's ship, but she got away,” Hux informed general Pryde, following after him like a lost puppy across the bridge of the destroyer. The workers stationed in the command room were busy undergoing preparations. 

“Under the command of the knights of ren we suffer losses, a transport was destroyed,” Venom dripped from his voice before being interrupted by Pryde. 

“Is that all?” He rudely inquired, his expression blank. Hux squinted at his superior, the years filled with war hadn’t been kind to Pryde, Hux could tell by the wrinkles permanently forged in his forehead and the way his face twisted like he’d devoured a sour lemon. 

“No allegiant general, there was another transport in the desert. It brought back a valuable prisoner.” Hux announced, standing proudly with a smug smirk plastered on his face. This sparked Pryde’s interest and he turned to face the impulsive auburn-haired man. 

“Prisoner?” 

Hux lead the way toward the hangar, the sleek reflective flooring and silver walls all looked the same. It was almost impossible to know where you were going unless you had previous experience on the destroyer. Pryde already knew this, the battles he fought alongside Brendol Hux had taught him how to navigate under many stressful circumstances. The one thing that he had to learn himself is that the first order _always_ discouraged morals and sympathized with _no one_.

Brendol had manipulated Pryde’s judgement for his own advantage, to climb the ranks. After supposedly going M.I.A Pryde connected with the resistance and finally started a family… free from all the terrors of war. When Leia had personally asked him to get involved again, he accepted on one condition, that they kept his wife and daughter safe. 

The metal door opened with a hiss, causing Pryde to direct his attention from his thoughts and focus on the so-called prisoner that Hux had previously mentioned.

Chewie growled aggressively as the troopers pushed him forward onto his knees, wrists fit with metallic cuffs that were impossible to break out of. The first order prided themselves on the materials and resources they obtained. 

“The beast used to fly with Han Solo,” Hux elaborated while trying to repress his giddiness. It was a sickening sight; he was almost a splitting image of his father. 

“Take him to interrogation six,” Pryde ordered the troopers before nodding at Hux to dismiss him of his duties. He sent a sly wink in Chewie’s direction causing the Wookie to tilt his head in confusion before being dragged off to the interrogation rooms. 

“We’ve only got eight hours left, so what do we do?” Rose inquired, sighing defeatedly as she paced around the ship nervously. Finn and Rey sat on the crates next to each other, unsure of what to say. 

“What can we do, we’ve gotta head back to base,” Finn piped up, exasperation shown on his features as he glanced at Rey who was staring off into the distance. 

“We don’t have time to go back, we are not giving up.” Poe snapped, articulating every syllable whilst pointing at the two of them. He stood next to Rose; hip jutted out slightly as he brought the palm of his hand to his face.

“The first order has the dagger, we’re screwed,” Finn remarked, gesturing with his hands before shrugging, visibly deflated. Rey nervously brought her gaze down to her fingers, fiddling with them as they tried to come up with a solution. 

“So true, the inscription only lives on in my memory now,” Threepio mumbled almost too quietly for them to hear, the four of them turned their heads in sync toward the droid.

“Hold on, the inscription that was on the dagger is in your memory?” Poe questioned, still pointing but now at the droid as Threepio turned to face them. The expression on Poe’s face could only be described as astonishment. 

“Yes, master Poe, but the translation from a forbidden language cannot be retrieved unless a complete redactive memory wipe is performed!” Threepio exclaimed, if he wasn’t a droid Finn would’ve said his tone was almost worrying. 

“A complete what?” Finn inquired, glancing between Threepio and Poe for more answers. 

“It’s terribly dangerous and simple act performed on unwitting droids by criminals and-,” The droid began to ramble as the group shared hopeful looks at one another. The faith had been restored; they could find a way to do this. 

“Let’s do that,” Finn interjected, standing up on the spot. 

“I know a black-market droid smith,” Poe stated knowingly, his chestnut brown eyes glimmered with confidence. Finn couldn’t help but grin at Poe’s expression. 

“Black-market droid smith?” Threepio shouted, moving his golden arms worriedly as the group came to an agreement. 

“But he’s on kijimi,” a small exhale left Poe’s lips as he closed his eyes, furrowing his brows at the unfortunate circumstances. 

“What’s wrong with kijimi?” Rose questioned, not out of curiosity but out of desperation. They needed to use any resources they could get their hands on due to the time they were running dangerously low on. 

“I had a little bad luck on kijimi,” He waved his hand dismissively, “But if this mission fails… all we’ve done, all this time would’ve meant nothing.” The faltering of his voice gave away the emotion he was trying to hide. Rey had never seen Poe cry before, but it looked like he was on the verge of it. 

“We’re in this together,” Finn remarked, reaching for Poe’s hand and intertwining his fingers between his. Poe side-eyed Finn, a look of admiration that Rey couldn’t miss. 

“To the end,” Rose added on, taking Poe’s other hand and reaching out for Rey to join them. Standing up and removing herself from the crate, she stepped forward linking hands with Rose and Finn. Threepio made his way over to the circle, tapping on Finn's shoulder to let him in which he reluctantly did. The droid squeezed between the two men feeling content with being included. 

After a while Rey was the only one left in the central room of the ship, leaving her to deal with her thoughts alone. BB8 rolled into her to seemingly get her attention, a zooming noise caused her to bring her gaze up toward the droid. A little green droid with one singular wheel and a cone-shaped head hesitantly rolled up against her. 

“Hello!” It responded sweetly, looking up in her direction. The corner of her lips upturned into a small smile at the cute companion. 

“Hello,” She replied, leaning forward to touch the droid. 

“N-No thank you,” It stuttered, rolling backward causing Rey to frown. 

“Looks like someone treated him badly… S’alright you’re with us now,” She informed BB8, a lingering promise in the tone of her voice as he reassured the small droid. A new addition to the team was always welcome. 

Her heart ached as her mind wandered to Ben, she couldn’t imagine the extent of the physical and mental abuse that boy had been through. She had a taste of it from Snoke in the throne room, but he was going easy on her. 

The journey to Kijimi was long and exhausting, Rey would’ve argued that the chilling air was freezing her toes and nose off. The delicate pure white snow that littered the ground reminded her of Starkiller base. This time she’d been entertained by the small flakes falling from the sky, admiring the nature of the planet instead of focusing on fighting for her life. 

The big comforting and somewhat warm coats they were wearing kept her mind preoccupied, every time she moved it was incredibly noisy to her dismay. The group tended to have the worst luck. 

They waited for Poe to check the coast to see if it was clear, hiding behind a stoned brick wall and waiting for his instruction. Stormtroopers were currently raiding the area, knocking on doors and intruding into family’s homes, it was devastating. 

It was different from how Poe remembered it to be, it was once lively with cheer and joy. He would’ve described it as colourful but now it was dull, _black and white_. He should’ve known once the First Order had begun to mine its resources, they would eventually override its rulers. 

“They’re everywhere… alright I know what we should do,” He turned back to his friends, signalling with his fingers to move in the opposite direction to which he was previously going in. 

“So do I, we should leave,” Threepio mumbled somewhat alarmed by the danger they were in by being on the planet. Finn and Rose glanced back at the droid momentarily. 

“Clam it Threepio,” Poe said through gritted teeth, beginning to move in the opposite direction. The bright flashing lights and constant chaos of the atmosphere was enough to cause the group to panic. 

“Follow me.” He mumbled before moving forward, the droids scampered after them. They all stuck to any visible wall or protection they could get to shelter themselves from the troopers. Poe leant back against another stone brick wall.

“Right, lets head down-,” He pointed his finger down the opening in front of them before turning it right as if to show them where they were going to head. The noise of a gun clicking caused Poe to tense up, closing his eyes.

“Heard you were spotted at moonscape, thought he’s not stupid enough to come back here,” The voice was tainted with unrequited anger, the boots she wore crunched against the snowy floor before circling around the wall slightly. 

Rey, Finn and Rose froze up at the unfamiliar voice before moving out into a V formation to see who it was. The figure was donned in a deep maroon bodysuit, intricate gold bands around each arm and wrists. The plate around her neck connected to her helmet for extra protection and the belt she wore had ancient runes decorated on it. She radiated dominant energy. 

“Well, you’d be surprised,” He shrugged, giving the person a smart ass reply in true Poe fashion as he turned to face them. 

“Who’s this-,” Rey quizzically raised her brow, waiting for a response from the pilot as she kept her eyes trained on the figure and her group of friends that had gathered around them. It seemed like an ambush. 

“What’s going on?” Finn reiterated, cutting Rey off as Rose slinked back out of fear. The tension in the air was thick and mildly intimidating. 

“Guys this is Zorii, Zorii this is... Rey and Finn-,” He began to gesture with his hands, pointing to the person being named as he felt the gun being pressed further into his skull causing him to let out a sigh. 

“I can pull this trigger right now,” She sounded unamused, finger twitching as she tried to repress her temper. Rey, Rose and Finn stood there wide-eyed at the interaction unfolding in front of them. 

“I’ve seen you do worse,” He mumbled back a response, hands up in a surrendering motion to let her know that he wasn’t going to fight her. 

“For a lot less,” She seethed, baring her teeth underneath her helmet annoyance dripping from her voice at her friend. 

“Can we just-,” He paused, pulling his hood down to expose his face to her, “Talk about this?” 

“I’d rather see your brains in the snow,” She gestured with her gun to the ground, he could tell she was smirking underneath the mask. 

“So, you’re still mad?” She rolled her eyes at his comment, patience running thin. She couldn’t help but give him the benefit of the doubt, she still cared about him and that was her weakness. 

“Zorri we could use your help, we’ve gotta crack this droids head open and fast,” He almost pleaded, his voice conveying just how distressed he was. The droid he was pointing to waved at Zorii causing her to furrow her brows.

“Pardon?” She questioned, wondering if she’d misheard his request. 

“We’re tryna find Babu Frik,” He enlightened her, she paused thinking it through before responding with just as much resentment. 

“Babu only works for the crew, that’s not you anymore,” She remarked, still pointing the gun at his face. He placed his finger on the tip, pressing it down and she allowed him to. 

“What crew?” Rose piped up, curiosity adamant in her voice as she moved further into the light, no longer afraid. 

“Oh, funny that he never mentioned that he worked for the first order,” She continued on as Poe pursed his lips, staring at her with a ‘why would you tell them that’ expression.

“You worked for the first order?” Finn inquired, almost feeling betrayal at the fact that he hadn’t disclosed this with the group earlier. Everyone truly had their own secrets. 

“You were a stormtrooper?” Poe shot back, shaking his head at Finn in an annoyed way. Finn parted his lips at his response. 

“Were you apart of the fleet?” Rey questioned with the only rational explanation, after all, he was a pilot what else would he have helped with?

“Were you a scavenger? I mean we could do this all night,” He shrugged back at Rey who stood stiffly, staff in hand for protection. Rey and Finn shared a glance before looking back at the pilot. 

“You don’t have all night, you know I’m still digging out of the hole you put me in when you left to join the resistance,” She said informatively, the comment was supposed to come off as stingy but it sounded more like longing. She’d missed his company. 

“You, you’re the one they’re looking for,” Zorii pointed out, gun in hand as she saw the features hidden underneath the hood of the coat Rey was wearing. Rey side-eyed her unsure of what she was stating. 

“Bounty for her just might cover us,” She mused, informing the group of her friends that stood in the shadows, waiting to pounce. 

“Jakonga!” Zorii called out as an order to attack. Poes eyes widened, worried for Jakonga and not Rey. 

“No Jakonga,” He yelled, gesturing with his hand to stop. He dismissed Poe and pounced forward ready to set off his net gun. They closed in on Rey quickly and in response, she straightened her staff horizontally. Using the force of her arms she hit one of the males straight into his chest before thrusting is backwards to take out the other person. She slipped the staff underneath Zorii’s legs sending her to the floor easily taking them all out. 

Zorii slid onto the snow, her right leg straight and left leg raised pointing her gun to Rey’s face as she Ignited the crystal blue saber holding it dangerously close to Zorii’s.

“We could really use your help,” Her expression was solemn, not begging but sincere. 

“Please.” 

“Not that you care, but I think you’re okay,” Zorii responded with sarcasm as she backed down visibly, nodding at the force user with respect. 

Rey sheathed it, holding out her hand as a form of apology. A small smile found its way onto her lips as Zorii accepted.


	8. Threepio

“Walkers, stay close,” Zorii muttered, referring to the groups of troopers sniffing around, she began leading them down an open path making sure it was safe first. 

“Poe Dameron, working for the first order,” Finn stated harshly, how hypocritical was it that Rey chose not to share her secret for Poe to have done the exact same thing. He shook his head in vexation towards his friend. 

“Finn, just drop it, please,” Poe responded, glancing back at him before continuing on forward following Zorii and her group closely. Rose was the second last followed by Threepio until Rey decided to drop back. 

“Threepio hurry up,” Rey lagged behind the droid waiting for the rest of them to go first. A shiver that ran up her spine caused her to pause, furrowing her brows her grip on her staff tightened. This didn’t feel right. The group had already turned around the corner in the time it took one of the knights to silently approach Rey from behind. 

A gloved hand clasped around her jaw, pressing against her mouth to silence her whilst another arm wrapped around her neck. She attempted to scream but it was muffled causing her to panic and thrash her body around trying break free from the grip her attacker had on her. Her staff fell onto the snowy floor accidentally as she opened the palm of her hand, but before she could do anything the figure dragged her into a tunnel-like hallway.

Whoever held her let her go, pressing her forcefully against the stone wall as they snapped familiar-looking restraints on her wrists. She quickly realised much to her dismay that they were force suppressing and she was rendered useless. They were an exact replica of the ones that she wore in the throne room of the supremacy. 

Her eyes roamed around taking in the appearance of each knight, there were six in total with the exception of their leader Kylo Ren himself. She’d seen them before in one of her visions but that didn’t compare to how intimidating they were in real life. The black-grey material they wore looked suffocating; she couldn’t imagine how much protective armour they were wearing underneath. 

“Ren wants you alive,” The one with the machete-like weapon spoke as she was pushed further into the wall by two other knights, their hands dug uncomfortably into her biceps. She glared at them both harshly. 

Trudgen leant forward, his helmet just mere inches from her nose. He could feel her unease as her breath hitched, she was unsure of what their intentions were, if not to kill her. He ran his gloved finger down her jawline, and she tried to move away obviously disgusted by the action, but he caught her chin in between his forefinger and thumb making her face him. 

“You were the cause of his disobedience to Snoke,” He continued, disdain evident in his voice as he stared down at the scavenger. She was becoming restless and attempted yet again to shake the knights' grip off her. 

“Let go of me,” She gritted her teeth, talking to the two knights holding her against the wall and the one that now held her jaw, squeezing it slightly to cause pain. 

“Feisty, I can see why he likes you,” She bit back a snarl at the backhand comment, her eyes burned with hatred at the knight antagonizing her. 

“You don’t really want him as your master, do you?” She asked genuinely, if they were going to play mind games so was she. Ben had told her everything through the countless force bonds they’d had over the period of a year. She knew almost everything about the knights. 

“All of those Jedi padawans you all slaughtered, and you never thought for once that the person who was blamed for it all would turn against you?” She questioned again trying to suppress a smirk at their unintelligence, she never understood why everyone underestimated Ben. 

“How foolish of you Trudgen, Ben Solo will be your worst nightmare,” She threatened as he stepped back, she could feel his surprise at the use of his name and suddenly he wasn’t feeling so confident.

Waving dismissively, he allowed another knight with a weapon resembling a curved blade on a stick to take his place. _Vicrul_. She assumed Trudgen was trying to contain his anger at the spiteful girl and that caused her to feel victorious. 

Vicrul pressed the curved piece of metal against her throat, as she gulped, she felt it slightly pierce through her skin causing a warm crimson substance to drip down her throat. She didn’t flinch at the pain but gritted her teeth at the slight sting. Her gaze flickered down to her saber that was currently clipped onto his belt. 

“You care for him, that will be your downfall girl,” He seethed pressing it further into her throat, she made sure not to swallow again in fear of it injuring herself more, instead, she decided to speak.

“No,” She paused, swallowing painfully, “it won’t.”

“That will be _his _uprising.”__

____

Trudgen, who held the machete-like object used it to hit the back of her knees, sending her to the floor. Vicrul bent down, a laugh reverberating through his helmet at the weak girl. A groan left her parted lips at the dull ache, she hesitantly reached both restrained hands up to her throat touching the wound to feel how deep it was. Bringing her hand down, her fingers were stained with blood.

____

Thinking quickly, she reached forward grabbing the saber off the knights’ belt while still cuffed. Igniting the saber by sliding the hilt further down into her hands she dropped it on the ground, leaning forward to press the middle of her restraints against the laser causing it to slice in half, releasing her wrists. Picking the saber up she stepped backward, giving it a flourish toward them like she was begging them to try her. 

____

She rationally thought it out and instead of fighting, she turned around, sprinting straight towards the exit of the hall. She heard them behind her and kept running, allowing her feet to carry her as far as they could take her.

____

“How are we going to find her?” Rose panicked, trying to refrain from biting her nails; a nasty habit she’d picked up to help calm her nerves. The group had to walk through a club just to get to the small cosy shack they were in now. For Rose it was kind of traumatizing, it reminded her too much of canto bight. 

____

“She’ll find us, she always does,” Poe nodded toward her, smiling softly and reassuringly. She appreciated his kindness and hope. 

____

“Babu Frik, can you help us with this?” Rose questioned, moving toward the adorable little creature with tiny glasses sitting on its head. She knelt down to his size on the table, watching him work as Threepio sat on the chair, wires connected to his head. They all waited for a hopefully positive response. 

____

He spoke back in his native language and Rose glanced back at Finn who was playing with a small toy as if to ask, ‘did you understand any of that?’. He raised his brows as an answer, confusion plastered on his features. 

____

“Zorii, is this going to work?” She mumbled, uncertainty in her tone as she stood up, heading toward the maroon bodysuit clad woman. Zorii ripped her worried gaze from Poe who sat on the stairs toward Rose.

____

She spoke in Babu’s native language fluently and the little creature gestured with his hands to the droid while talking back. Rose’s gaze followed whoever was talking, waiting patiently. 

____

“He said he’s found something in your droids forbidden memory bank, words translated from sith?” She specified, from the change in her body language it was evident that she was upset with what she’d been told. 

____

“Yeah that’s what we need,” Finn spoke up, leaning on one of the wooden shelves and confirming what Babu had told her. 

____

“Who are you hanging out with that speaks sith?” She questioned accusingly, turning to Poe who now stood on the stairs sheepishly smiling back. Although he couldn’t see her eyes, he knew she was throwing daggers at him. 

____

“Can you make him- Babu can you make him translate it?” He stepped hesitantly down the stairs, pointing at Zorii then back to Babu. 

____

“Yes, but it will cause-,” Zorii began to speak, only to get cut off by Threepio himself. 

____

“A complete memory wipe.”

____

“You know the odds better than any of us, do we have a choice?” Poe stepped forward, genuinely querying the droid. Threepio leant backward out of shock at the truthfulness of his statement.

____

“If this mission fails… it would have all been for nothing.” Threepio noted, standing up and moving away from everyone. His golden back facing them. 

____

“What are you doing there Threepio?” Poe questioned, gesturing toward the droid before sharing glances with the other worried members in the group. 

____

“Taking one last look, at my friends,” He turned around, facing the group. Poe’s gaze softened, he almost wanted to apologize for how he’d been treating the poor droid. Rose lifted her hand up to her chest, frowning sadly as Finn pursed his lips. A blinding light shone through the slitted windows of the shack they were in capturing the attention of everyone. 

____

“Night raids are going to start soon, I’ll keep a lookout,” Zorii informed the disorientated bunch of resistance fighters, turning towards the stairs. 

____

“I’ll come with you,” Poe told her, and she shot him a dirty look, “To check for Rey.” He clarified as Finn's expression changed from feigned annoyance to understanding. Rose knew what that expression meant, he reeked of jealousy and it hurt her to see him like that. 

____

Once the pair had left Rose spoke up, “Finn, I need to talk to you,”

____

“Hmm?” He raised his brows, pursing his lips at Roses request, leaning forward she clasped her small fingers around his wrist dragging him over into another room so Babu could work in peace. 

____

“I know we haven’t really talked about this... but back on Crait,” She started off, nerves evident in the faltering of her voice. Her gaze was strictly trained on the floor until Finn placed his hand on her shoulder, a friendly gesture to ask her to continue.

____

“When we kissed, it was a heat of the moment thing... I mean I’d just met you and I was thrown into the action- you know,” She began to explain, trying to gauge his reaction to what she was saying.

____

“Oh- right, yeah,” He nodded, adamant surprise plastered on his features. He felt guilty now for brushing it off and ignoring that it’d even happened. 

____

“And I know you’ve got your eye on someone else,” She finished, exhaling loudly as she’d finally voiced her opinion. His eyes widened and a slight blush dusted across his cheeks, was it that obvious? Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly she let out a giggle at his flustered reaction. 

____

Zorii laid down across the sloped rooftop, her torso touching the cold bricks as she made herself comfortable. This was her favourite vantage point; she could see almost everything from here. Poe settled next to her, opting to kneel instead.

____

“You could get out of this you know?” He murmured sincerely while glancing at her, his eyes shimmered gorgeously in the moonlight. Meanwhile waiting for her response, he rubbed his forearms to try and prevent his teeth from chattering since he forgot his coat back at the shack. 

____

Her head turned slightly toward him, an unreadable expression as an answer since the anonymity of the mask she wore covered her face from him. Her shoulders drooped at the look of what she could tell was pity on his features. Zorii _hated_ being pitied. 

____

She brought her hands up to her face, pressing a button to release it. Pulling the heavy contraption off her head, she placed the golden helmet next to her on the snowy rooftop. Her wavy brunette hair cascaded down her chest and her green eyes glimmered with hope. 

____

“Come with us,” He offered- _almost begged_. He wanted to apologize for all the strife he caused her, to hug her and tell her that he’d never leave her again. But he couldn’t, that was all in the past, this was his life now. 

____

She audibly sighed, refusing to look at him because every time she did it caused her pain. He’d changed so much, sure still a cocky pilot but he was more mature and the boyishness she loved about him had faded. He was a leader now. 

____

“I can’t Poe, they- they took my kid,” She stuttered, chin trembling as she swallowed the lump growing in her throat. Her eyes were glassy, cheeks tinted pink as she looked at him. The surprise evident on his face could not be understated, he parted his lips unsure of what to say to comfort her. 

____

“A lot has happened since you left,” She whispered softly, staring down at her hands as she pulled off the gloves she wore to distract herself in the moment. 

____

“Zorii I’m so sorry,” His sincerity killed her, he furrowed his brows in contemplation. The young woman hadn’t lost her fiery nature even through all the hardships she’d been through. She was just as caring and too forgiving as he’d remembered her to be.

____

“It’s fine, I have this,” She reached her bare hand into one of her pockets, holding up a shiny circular chip to his face. 

____

“That’s a first order captain medallion,” He practically gasped, amazement lighting up his features as his eyes flickered between the medallion and her. 

____

“I just have to find a way onto the main destroyer,” She mumbled almost too quietly for him to hear as she played with the small chip between her fingers. 

____

“How old?” He almost didn’t want to ask, hesitance in the tone he used.

____

“Eight, Diego is a little spitfire,” Her smile wide as she reminisced, Poe could see the lingering sadness behind her sparkling eyes, and it caused his heart to ache with sympathy. 

____

“I promise we’ll win this war so you can be reunited with him,” He promised, nodding toward her with a determined expression. The corner of her lip upturned into a small grin as she reached forward and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. 

____

“Thank you.” Her faith in him had never wavered, even when he left. 

____

“I’m just not sure how yet- we sent out a transmission during the battle of Crait. No one came, everyone is so afraid, they’ve given up.” He elaborated, exhaling sadly as he properly sat down.

____

“I don’t believe that,” She replied, brows furrowed and lips drawn into a line. He blinked slowly waiting for her to continue. She paused, thinking of what to say to comfort the pilot.

____

“That’s how they win, making you believe you’re alone,” He stared at her, the expression on his face becoming softer with every word she spoke.

____

“You’re not alone.”

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream into my inbox! Leave some feedback! Love you guys


	9. Ren's Destroyer

He nodded softly at her sentiment; a small smile plastered on his lips as he gazed at the view in front of him. The moonlight was tinted a beautiful azure colour, reflecting on the roofs of the many connected houses and shacks that built the city. He missed how cosy this place was, despite all of the horrible memories of working for the first order.

Poe was originally tasked with operating the mining technology, resource scouting the planet for minerals and precious materials. He would’ve assumed by now they would’ve stripped the planet bare… maybe they were just prolonging their time to terrorize and traumatise families, it wouldn’t surprise him.

His thought process was broken once he caught a glimpse of a fleeting body covered in white from below the snowy rooftop him and Zorii were currently lying on. Squinting slightly, he let out a breath of relief as he made out the shape of a familiar long, brown staff.

“Rey!” Poe exclaimed, waving frantically at the scavenger below them as she came to a quick halt, her foot jutting in the snow. She gazed upward; the worried expression painted on her features melting into a reassured one.

Zorii reached over to Poe, bringing his hands down and scolding him for being so loud. The night raids had already begun, and it was dangerous to be out.

Instead of taking the long way, Rey opted for a far quicker approach. Backing up, she placed one of her feet behind her in a sprinting position. Exhaling sharply, she began to run forward, launching herself upward, body propelling into the chilling air in one graceful leap. Her feet landed flat and balanced on the rooftop behind Zorii and Poe.

They both turned their bodies around in sync, Zorii’s lips slightly parted in amazement. It was obvious she hadn’t encountered quite a powerful force user before. Poe’s eyes widened at the sight of dried blood down Rey’s chest and the same crimson substance still leaking from the wound across her throat.

“What happened?” He questioned; concern imminent on his face as he stepped closer toward Rey. Zorii also rose, grabbing her heavy gold-plated mask and holding it against her hip as she watched the interaction unravel before her.

“We have to get going, the knights are here,” She informed them, and Poe could piece together what had happened. He’d only encountered Kylo before, but one Knight was enough for him to gather an understanding of what the others could do.

“And so is Ren’s destroyer by the looks of it,” Poe mumbled glancing upward as the sky rumbled with unnatural thunder. 

By the time they’d made it back Babu was still working tirelessly on Threepio, his eyes now dull and lifeless instead of the warm yellow they used to be. Rose had been pacing around whilst Finn sat down, watching her intently.

“We’ve gotta go now, did we get it Babu?” Poe burst out, stepping down the stairs hurriedly with Zorii and Rey quick on his tail. Rose and Finn directed their attention towards the three of them, unable to muster a response.

“The droid is ready,” Babu replied in broken English, wires and tools in his tiny paws as he stood in a ‘ta-da’ motion. The group waited patiently for a reaction from the now incapacitated droid.

“Rey, your neck,” Rose exclaimed, her mouth hung open in distress as she scampered over to Rey’s side to give her a cautionary hug. Making sure in the process that she wouldn’t injure her friend any more than she already was. Rey pulled away slowly while nodding in acknowledgement. Finn followed closely behind Rose, a small frown decorating his lips at the sight of her genuinely hurt.

“What happened?” Finn inquired, his eyes glimmering with care as Rey made her way back to the steps for somewhere to comfortably sit.

“I’ll get to that,” She promised, lowering herself down onto the steps with a heave. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she pressed the palm of her hand on her bloody throat, focusing on closing the wound. She felt the energy flow through her fingertips, mending the cut flesh together again. Unfortunately, the dried blood still decorated her collarbones when she was done.

Threepio jolted upward, eyes glowing a deep maroon colour as he began speaking, “The Jedi Holocron has been stored in the emperor's vault at delta three six, transient nine three six, airing three two on a moon in the Endor system.” He twitched almost violently before falling backward, returning to his lifeless form as the group shared nervous glances between each other.

“The Endor system? Where the last war ended?” Finn reiterated as more of a statement than a question, turning to Poe for confirmation. The abrupt rumbling of the walls and cluttering of objects on the shelves caused unease to flow through the group. Dust began falling from the ceiling, floor rattling unsteadily.

“Ren’s destroyer,” Rey mumbled as she rose from the stairs and stepped up to the top, gazing outside and toward the stars that decorated what was left of the sky as a massive ship now clouded her vision. Her stomach churned warily; she didn’t want to face him again.

“We have to get Chewie,” Finn stated, creeping up the stairs behind Rey to see the destroyer for himself. She threw her head over her shoulder, nodding reassuringly at her friend. They were going to get him back no matter what.

“Your friend is on that sky trash?” Zorii inquired, an unimpressed expression plastered on her pretty features as she pointed toward the exit. Threepio suddenly awoke, startling Poe and causing him to jump back as he nodded in response to Zorii. Hand over chest, he let out a sigh sternly glaring at the droid.

“May I introduce myself; I am Ceethreepio, Human Cyborg relations and you are?” Threepio questioned, making articulate movements with his golden arms staring straight at the pilot.

“Ok, that’s gonna be a problem,” Poe pointed at the droid, glancing at Zorii whilst she rolled her eyes in amusement. Rose raised her left brow at the scene unravelling in front of her. This as going to be a lot more difficult than she originally thought.

“I- am Babu Frik!” The small creature proudly introduced himself to Threepio, making adorable noises of excitement.

They eventually made it out of Babu’s workplace at the back of the bar, heading to where they’d parked Ochi’s ship. All they had to do now was figure out how to get on the destroyer undetected.

“Threepio, move your metal ass we’re almost there,” Poe declared, hugging the coat closer to his body as the weather had become even more unpredictable due to Ren’s arrival. The wind was harsh and the delicate snowflakes falling were clouding everyone’s vision as they ran hurriedly to the ship.

“Poe,” Zorii reached forward clasping her fingers around his bicep causing him to stop. His gaze was soft, and she could clearly see the regret swimming in his expressive eyes. The cold air was biting at the tops of her ears, she forgot how freezing it was without her helmet on.

“Might get you on a capital ship, go help your friend,” She murmured, putting her gloved hand into one of her pockets and pulling out the captain’s medallion she’d worked so hard for. Placing it onto the palm of his calloused hand, she pushed his fingers closed with her own.

“Zorii come with us, we’ll find your kid,” She tilted her head, pausing as if thinking before exhaling sharply and nodding in agreement. He tried to suppress a smile as he gestured with his head to continue on.

The noise of Ren’s TIE fighter startled the group and the worry on Rey’s face was increasing with every passing moment. The civilians previously scampering back to their homes were all inside as the night raids had commenced allowing the group easy and quick passage.

“We have to go, now!” Rey prompted, gripping her staff tightly in her hand as she watched Poe and Zorii begin running toward her, Finn, Rose and Threepio. Snaking their way down the many similar-looking snowy pathways they eventually made it back to the ship.

Poe headed straight for the cockpit along with Zorii and Rose whilst Rey busied herself with the chest of Jedi texts she’d brought along. Flicking briefly through the pages of one of the hardcover books she paused, coming to a sudden realization.

“I know where I’ve seen this ship before,” She exclaimed, exhaling sharply as she shut the book closed almost aggressively. Finn popped his head into the room confused by the outburst.

“What?” He questioned in disbelief, walking toward Rey who sat on the crates again the palms of her hands resting on the book situated on her lap.

“It was the ship my parents were on... before they left,” She glanced up at her friend, eyes glassy and full of emotion, cheeks dusted red. She forced her gaze back on the book. He furrowed his brows, crouching down and looking up at her face.

“Are you sure?” He asked as she nodded, unable to bring herself to look at him without crying. She could pinpoint what the churning emotions in her stomach were, the longing for a family, the wanting to be important to someone and the intense loneliness she had to endure for the majority of her life. They were the burdens she had to carry.

Poe called out for a group meeting, forcing Rey and Finn to enter the somewhat crowded cockpit. Zorii and Rose were currently sharing one of the seats as they all quietened down. Finn moved further inward, lying back against the wall behind Poe’s chair as they began to talk once again, discussing plans and whatnot.

“He was recently taken,” Poe mumbled, looking to Zorii for confirmation, “Finn would you know anything about the whereabouts of the new child recruits-,” He tried to question in an appropriate way, glancing at his stormtrooper friend with an apologetic look in his eyes.

“There’s a chance that they’ll on the main destroyer, usually the children have to go through the initiation stage before being sent to other destroyers, Why?” He informed them, leaning on the backs of one of the seats Poe was currently situated in. The whole group was listening intently.

“I’ll let her explain later,” He mumbled, referring to Zorii who visibly relaxed at the news. If Rey could explain what hope was, it was the expression decorating Zorii’s features. Poe steadily piloted the ship into the air, forcing it to go full speed as they closed in on Ren’s destroyer.

“Medallions good, clear for entrance to hangar 12,” Poe explained, pressing the circular medallion into a little holder before pushing it down into the system. The ride was too short for Rey’s liking. Her anxiousness was getting the better of her as she filled the time by nervously pacing around the ship.

The group braced themselves for entry, landing equipment touching down first on the hangar floor caused everyone to scramble and collect their weapons. Fingers clasped tightly around a blaster that resembled the one Han gave her back on Takodana, Rey stood ready for the ramp to drop.

She glanced uneasily at Rose who returned the look with a reassuring smile, Finn and Poe stood at the ready with Zorii behind them. Threepio, BB8 and D-O waited behind everyone for safety.

As the ramp began to drop, she nodded to her fellow mates before leading the way, running forward she held the blaster out in front of her pulling the trigger and aiming at two of the troopers that stood at the entry. Finn and Poe followed closely after her, along with Zorii and Rose.

Glancing up at the walls, she took in the view. They were lit up by spectacular blue lights, it almost seemed peaceful. Shiny and sleek black reflective flooring decorated where they were currently walking, she wouldn’t have expected any less from Kylo. It was pretty, she liked it.

“You three stay there!” Rey yelled snapping out of her daydream and sternly pointing to the ragtag group of droids as if to warn them not to move. They seemed to obey her order and began to back up into the ship further.

“Which way?” Zorii questioned and Rey paused realising she didn’t know where they were going. Turning back to face the group she furrowed her brows, waiting for someone else to concoct a plan.

“I have no idea, follow me!” Finn responded, taking the lead and heading toward the first exit that he’d seen on the hangar floor. Poe visibly shrugged at Rey as he began following the ex-stormtrooper. Rolling her eyes, she made sure to keep up behind Zorii and Rose.

Sneaking around the many halls proved to be harder than expected, the security had been upped with patrols almost every three minutes.

Rey held up her fist and they paused, hearing the melancholic synchronised footsteps of troopers marching past them. They all exhaled slowly as Rey poked her head out of one of the hidey holes, noting that it was clear for them. Gesturing with her hands, she made sure everyone got out before herself.

Finn and Poe held up their blasters protectively, checking down the other halls to make sure it was safe as Zorii and Rose kept close to Rey. Finn headed toward a set of stairs, pausing at the closed door. A noise startled the group, causing them to look behind before realising the hissing had been the door in front of them that was opening.

“Drop your weapons,” a modified voice spoke sternly as the group collectively stiffened whilst turning to face forward, being met with two troopers aiming their weapons at them defensively.

“It’s okay that we’re here,” Rey stepped in front of them, gesturing with her fingers whilst speaking in a melancholy tone. The troopers glanced at each other before bringing their gaze back to the uninvited passengers.

“It’s okay that you’re here,” The Buckethead on the left replied, visibly relaxing at her words and allowing the blaster to dangle from his fingers loosely.

“It’s good.” The other agreed, nodding in response as Finn and Poe nervously shot each other looks.

“You’re relieved that we’re here,” She attempted another command, pressing her lips into a line in concentration. Zorii and Rose stood behind the boys waiting to continue onward as Rey manipulated them freely.

“Thank goodness you’re here,” The left one giddily exclaimed, opening his arms in a shrug like motion to which Rey audibly huffed at. The other trooper gestured with his hand to come in, “Welcome guys.”

“Does she do that to us?” Poe questioned Finn; genuine curiosity laced in the tone of his voice. It reminded him of when Ren had probed his mind and to recall it was a beyond pleasant memory. Finn shook his head, reassuring the pilot.

“We’re looking for a prisoner and his belongings,” she glanced back at Zorii, keeping her in mind, “And the whereabouts of the new child prisoners.”

“Rose, Zorii, follow him- knock him out once it’s worn off,” Rey pointed to the left trooper, “Me, Poe and Finn will go get chewie,” She ordered, determination dripping from her voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave feedback! sorry this chap took so long


	10. His Quarters

She cautiously followed after the trooper, pointing the blaster at his back as he continued to lead them further down the halls. 

“The cameras!” Rey spoke up, pressing her finger on the trigger and aiming it at the recording tech. Poe followed her lead and turned further around the corner taking out another camera. Finn lagged behind a bit, making sure the other halls were clear before continuing onward.

“What was that?” The trooper questioned the shattering noises, abruptly stopping before turning around to face the trio. Instead of blasting him, Rey utilized her staff and jabbed his helmet easily knocking him out. His body crashed onto the floor with a thud as she paused in front of the door he’d lead them to. 

A chilling breeze that tingled down her spine caused goosebumps to arise, she turned allowing the feeling to direct where she should go. She couldn’t explain the unusual feeling, but it felt trustworthy to her. 

“Rey, come on,” Finn exclaimed, moving from the keypad and wrapping his hand around her bicep roughly. Poe moved around the currently unconscious trooper and broke the both of them up, shaking his head disappointedly at Finn.

“Ochi’s dagger is on this ship, we need it,” Rey mumbled, knitting her brows together as a perplexed expression painted her features. Glancing at the boys they nodded at her statement, showing that they trusted her judgement. 

“Why?” Finn questioned, confused by the sudden need for it. Poe side-eyed Finn and rolled his eyes at his overprotectiveness, he never fussed over him like that. 

“A feeling, I’ll meet you back at the hangar,” She explained, her hazel eyes glimmering with perseverance and a hint of stubbornness. Securing her staff over her shoulder, she began to stride towards where the feeling was leading her. Leaving Finn and Poe alone to deal with Chewie. 

“You can’t just leave again-,” Finn called after her fleeting body, getting ready to run after her. Poe quickly placed his palm flat on Finn's chest, stopping him. He glanced at the pilot; feigned annoyance shown on his features which caused Poe to raise his brows. 

“Chewie,” Determination dripped from Poe’s voice as Finn refocused his attention on the task at hand. 

The trooper entered the pin number causing the door to hiss open and they both knew it was only a matter of time before the mind manipulation Rey had done wore off. 

“What are we supposed to do with the trooper again?” Rose whispered, looking up at the wavy-haired brunette with concern imminent on her face. Zorii rung the blaster she held around her finger multiple times to show off before blasting the trooper straight in the back.

“That.” She replied smugly, smirking at her new friend as she stepped over the body that now lay strewn about on the reflective flooring. 

As they entered the room, Zorii audibly held her breath while checking out the living quarters. Tiny beds were stacked upon each other, decorated with jet black sheets. Chests laid in front of each one and she assumed it was where the children’s belongings were placed if they hadn’t already been taken from them. 

Rose followed her cautiously, the corner of her lips turning downward at the sight before them. The children must’ve been training because the place was empty. 

A lump grew in Zorii’s throat as she tried to hold back small sobs, placing her hand over her mouth she tried to stay silent as warm tears flowed down her dusted cheeks. She forced her gaze onto the ground, unable to bring herself to speak. 

“Zorii, I’m so sorry,” Rose mumbled, placing her hand comfortingly on her shoulder. She contemplated whether to give her a hug but was interrupted by a voice. 

“Mum!” A squeak caused Zorii to lift her head up, eyes glossy with tears she made out the silhouette of a little boy with curly brunette hair, honeydew eyes and an adorable button nose. She fell to her knees abruptly as he ran forward towards her. She curled her body around him, hand pressed into his soft hair and arm wrapped around his torso. He let out a small cry and her chest physically ached at the sound.

Rose’s heart melted, witnessing the reunion between them. Her lips were upturned into a soft smile as she watched. Zorii slowly pulled away, laughter falling from her lips as she tenderly wiped the pads of her thumbs underneath his eyes ridding him of tears.

“I love you so much,” She stated passionately, cupping his chubby cheeks in the palms of her hands as he grinned happily, eyes shimmering with love.

“Please don’t leave me again,” He begged, leaning his head on her chest again to which she placed a small kiss on the crown of his head reassuringly. 

“I won’t I promise,” She mumbled before pulling away again, realising that Rose was still there. 

“Oh- Diego, this is my new friend Rose,” Zorii introduced gesturing to the lady that stood behind her, hair decorated in cute buns and donned in tan coloured clothes. 

“Hi.” She shyly waved while smiling softly at the little boy. He grinned widely at her before grabbing his mums’ hand in his as she stood up. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Zorii said, nodding at Rose as they began to retrace their steps back to the hangar. 

“Search the city again, she’s close,” Kylo mumbled, ordering the knights before stalking off into the open. Kijimi was known for it’s freezing temperatures but all it was doing was antagonizing Ren, he loathed the cold and knowing that Rey had slipped out of his fingers yet again infuriated him. 

The knights nodded abruptly as their leader walked off, Vicrul was contemplating whether to go after Ren and inform him about their previous run-in with the girl but it seemed as though Trudgen felt his unease. He stepped in front of his fellow knight answering his doubts with a firm ‘don’t’. 

Sprinting into the room decorated with hues of blues, red and black Finn and Poe celebrated once they realised Chewie was indeed in the right room. He was kneeling, hands cuffed behind him and an uncomfortable-looking shock collar sat around his neck. He let out a roar of doubt and uncertainty, causing Poe to pause what he was doing. 

“Of course we came back for you Chewie,” He reassured the Wookie as they unclasped the standard metal cuffs by using their own body weight against it. Chewie mumbled the next question under his breath.

“Yeah, Rey’s here she’s going to get the dagger,” Finn responded, helping the Wookie to his feet once again along with Poe. They bolted straight out of the door figuring out where the hangar was from where they currently were. They could either go left or right.

“Ships this way, follow me,” He exclaimed choosing to turn left and quickly coming to a halt as troopers appeared in front of them. Holding his blaster forward he pulled the trigger twice, sending the troopers to the floor.

“Wrong way,” He reiterated before blasting the control panel to make the door close. 

“There isn’t really a ‘right’ way is there,” Poe responded rhetorically heading in the opposite direction, poking his head out the noise of blasts caused him to retract backward. He used the door for shelter before him and Finn nodded to each other, jumping out to blast the oncoming swarm of troopers.

Skidding down the hall Finn continuously shot at the enemies as Poe stopped, grabbing a blaster off the floor and throwing it to Chewie to handle the ones behind the trio. They quickly jumped down the stairs turning left and up the ramp toward the hangar. 

“We close?” Poe yelled out; brows furrowed as he waited for a response from Finn, letting out multiple pants whilst continuing to run. 

“Straight ahead,” Finn responded with certainty, turning back every so often to shoot at the troopers hot on their tail. Poe ran out into the open with no cover, a yelp and the shot of a blaster caught Finn's attention. Poe fell to the floor in agony, holding his shoulder to try and ease the burning sensation.

“Poe!” Finn yelled out, sliding across the ground on his knees to check the damage. Poe released his hand from his shoulder and Finn grimaced at the sight. 

“You okay?” He questioned; genuine concern laced in the tone of his voice as his gaze flickered from the wound to Poe’s face. 

“Nope.” The marching of steps caused them all to freeze up and soon they were all surrounded by pristine white-uniformed troopers. 

“Drop your weapons now!” One of them ordered, hostility evident in the way they were shoving their blaster in the faces of the trio. 

“We could really use Rey right now,” Poe remarked, glancing warily back at Finn who placed the blaster on the floor along with Chewie. 

Rey exhaled sharply as she entered a fully white room, it was almost blinding, and it felt familiar.

Stepping down the stairs timidly, she gazed around the large room before her eyes landed on what was calling her. The disfigured mask she could make out as Vader’s Helmet sat on a white pedestal, as she edged closer to it all she could feel was dread inside of her. 

Turning her head over her shoulder, her expression relaxed once she saw chewie’s utility belt and the dagger laid on another pedestal. Hesitantly walking toward it, she placed her staff down leaning it against the table. She opened up the small beige bag she’d brought along, placing the belt carefully into it before being distracted by the blade’s hilt in her hand.

She felt the weight of it in her palm, holding it up as different screams entered the back of her mind. Memories were trying to call out to her, and she attempted to repress the pressure in her head. Staring directly at the dagger she whispered a small ‘no’. It became too quiet; with the only noise she could hear being the blood rushing in her eardrums.

“Rey,” The voice startled her, causing her to turn around and jerk backward whilst unclipping the saber off her belt and igniting it as a reflex. Shallowly exhaling she blinked slowly at him, palm still clasped tightly around the dagger.

Her lips were parted, eyes glossy and surprise overtook her features as she drank in his figure. He wore his cursed cracked mask, dressed in all black as usual but his demeanour was different. She could sense the shift in his attitude toward her. 

“Wherever you are, you’re hard to find,” He mumbled, a hint of playfulness in his tone as he tried to repress a soft smile from behind his mask. He knew she could read him, no matter how hard he hid it she saw straight through him.

“You’re hard to get rid of,” She said almost venomously before turning back to what she was previously doing. She wanted to immediately apologise after the words had left her lips, casting her eyes down she tried to compose herself. The trust between the two was obvious, she was able to turn her back to him and she knew that he wouldn’t dare to hurt her. 

“You know who you are, and I know the rest of your story,” His voice wavered through the modulator, but she knew that what he spoke was truthful and that’s what hurt the most.

She defensively held up the saber pointing it in his direction as she scrunched her nose, baring her teeth. He could see her chin trembling and the emotion in her hazel eyes, he wanted to comfort her but he knew now was not the time. 

“You’re lying,” She remarked in a whispery tone, swallowing harshly against the lump in her throat as he stood like a statue. Rey noticed the change in her surroundings, they were back on Kijimi. She could hear the troopers terrorizing the families and the crackling of fires started by blasters. 

“I never lied to you, your parents chose to be no one,” He began to come closer, hesitance in his approach as if he was wary that she’d explode at any given moment. She felt torn apart, of course she used denial to repress the memories. It hurt less that way. 

She dropped her hand down beside her, still keeping the saber ignited as she pressed her lips harshly into a line to stop herself from frowning. 

“To keep you safe,” He continued on trying to manipulate the words to help ease the pain she was feeling. He didn’t want her to feel as though she’d been thrown away like some useless trash. Abandoned with no hope of a better life, just like him. 

“Don’t,” She barked, holding the saber dangerously close to his chest. He refused to step back and she furrowed her brows as he stood his ground. 

“They were selfish for doing that, for leaving me,” She hissed through gritted teeth, clenching her jaw. Hatred ran through her veins the longer she had to stare at that stupid crystalline corrected mask he wore. 

“You should know that more than anyone,” She whispered, exhaustion prominent in her tone as her shoulders drooped, facing the saber down at the floor. He paused, processing her words and calculating the next thing to say. 

“You remember more than you’ve said, I’ve been inside your head Rey,” His statement fuelled the rage inside her. She didn’t want to remember; it caused her pain and all he was doing was trying to coax it out.

“I don’t want this,” She mumbled holding back tears through gritted teeth, allowing anger to flow freely through her body. The pain and passion ignited her blood and all she wanted to do was lash out. 

“Search your memories,” He explained softly, stepping even closer to the fiery girl. It was as if something had snapped inside her as soon as he’d said that.

“No,” She screamed, turning to swing her saber at him missing his torso completely as he backed away just in time. He brought his ignited crossguard saber up, blocking her oncoming shot and she stayed in that position for a little while, exhaling sharply and using the emotion to her advantage. 

“Remember them, see them,” He coaxed as her saber slanted against his uncomfortably.

Her mother, donned in an emerald green cloak held her tiny body close. Fingers woven between the buns on her head and around her torso before slowly pulling away. The overpowering noises from outside distracted her, blasts and the shattering of objects.

 _“Rey, be brave... can you do that for me?”_ She questioned, cupping Rey’s cheeks fondly in the palms of her soft hands. Her mother’s eyes were glossy, a hazel colour just like hers. The movement of cloth behind them caught her attention. A man with short strawberry blonde hair entered the shelter and she assumed it was her father. 

_“We’re going to be safe here, I promise.”_ Her father muttered, leaning forward around her small body and her mothers to hug them in a warm embrace.

The next thing she saw was Ochi’s ship, it sped up flying further away from her. _“Come back,”_ She yelled and screamed at it, tears freely flowing down her face as Unkar Plutt’s hand wrapped around her bicep roughly. 

Breaking out of the trance she pushed her saber against his further, causing it to slide against it until it came off. They circled each other, hostility in Rey’s stance and expression yet none in Kylo’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave feedback! and if you pick up on any errors comment them! <3 much love


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